THE HOBBIT Will Get Limited 48fps Theatrical Release

One of the most interesting things about Peter Jackson's Hobbit films is the fact that he filmed the movies at a Higher Frame Rate (HFR) of 48fps. Jackson showed some of the footage of the film in the 48fps format at CinemaCon, and it wasn't met with the best reception. 

Warner Bros. has decided to give The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey HFR version a limited theatrical release. The release will include only select locations and might not even make it to all of the major cities. The main reason for this is because the studio "wants to protect the format... hoping to test the marketplace and expand the HFR release for the second and third installments." Provided audiences like what they see.

Variety reports that people "who have seen much of the film in 48 frames-per-second 3D say the picture now looks vastly better than the test footage shown this April at CinemaCon, which had not yet undergone post-production polishing and got a mixed reception from exhibitors."

As of right now, theaters are not prepared for the higher frame rate projection, but many of the projectors will only require a software upgrade that will be available in September. 

Regardless of the bad press for the HFR, I'm still excited to watch the movie in that format. I'm sure it will end up being shown in Los Angeles and New York, so those of us who live in these areas might get lucky. Are you looking forward to seeing The Hobbit in a higher frame rate, or are you going to stick with what you're comfortable with?

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