The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has surpassed the $500 million benchmark at the worldwide box office. To date, the blockbuster has earned an estimated $179.7 million domestically. In addition, on the heels of its record-breaking release in Australia -- the biggest Boxing Day opening of all time -- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has grossed an estimated $344 million internationally, for a global total of $523.7 million.

The joint announcement was made today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema; Gary Barber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios; Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

A production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Pictures, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the acclaimed first film in Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's epic "The Hobbit Trilogy," based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.