The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The musical score for The Desolation of Smaug was composed by Howard Shore in association with local New Zealand writing teams. It was performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The original motion picture soundtrack album was released on 10 December 2013. It received positive reviews, especially for its new themes.

English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran wrote and recorded "I See Fire", which plays during the end credits.[21] The song was released on iTunes on 5 November 2013.[22]

Benedict Cumberbatch at the Los Angeles premiere of the film.

Peter Jackson provided the first details about the second film in the series at a live event held on 24 March 2013.[23] The access code was attached to the DVD editions of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.[23] The live-broadcast event revealed some plot details; Jackson said that the role of Tauriel, acted by Evangeline Lilly, is a part of the elven guard and a bodyguard of the Elvenking, Thranduil.[23] In addition, he revealed a scene from the film in which Gandalf and Radagast the Brown search for the Necromancer fortress and discover that the Ringwraiths have been released from their graves.[23] The first trailer for the film was released on 11 June 2013.[24] On 4 November 2013, an extra long three-minute trailer/sneak peek was released and revealed new footage and major plot points.[25] On 4 November 2013, a special Desolation of Smaug live online fan event, hosted by Anderson Cooper in New York, was held across eleven different cities with participants including Peter Jackson, Jed Brophy, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Andy Serkis and Richard Armitage.[26][27]

Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly, Peter Jackson and, to a lesser extent, Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen, took part in the press tour, appearing on talk shows and giving interviews before the film's release.

The film premiered in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre on 2 December 2013,[28][29] and was released internationally on 11 December 2013 and in the United Kingdom and United States on 13 December 2013.[30]

An extended edition of the film had a limited re-release on 7 October 2015, accompanied by a special greeting from Peter Jackson.[31]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D on 7 April 2014 in the United Kingdom[32] and on 8 April 2014 in the United States. Three different versions were released: a Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD, and digital download combo pack; a Blu-ray 3D combo pack; a Blu-ray combo pack, and a two-disc DVD special edition. Extras include three making-of featurettes, 4 production web videos, and a music video for "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran.[33]

An extended edition of The Desolation of Smaug was released digitally on 21 October 2014, and was released on DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray 3 November 2014 in the United Kingdom, and 4 November 2014 in the United States, with 25 minutes of new material and original music.[34][35]

The Desolation of Smaug was released in Ultra HD Blu-ray on 30 November 2020 in the United Kingdom and on 1 December 2020 in the United States, along with the other films of the trilogy, including both the theatrical and the extended editions of the films.[36]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug grossed $258,366,855 in North America and $702,000,000 in other countries for a worldwide total of $960,366,855.[37] Calculating in all expenses, Deadline Hollywood estimated that the film made a profit of $134.1 million.[38] It is the fourth highest-grossing 2013 film, and grossed $209 million worldwide on its opening weekend.[39]

In North America, The Desolation of Smaug earned $8.8 million during its midnight opening, making it the second-highest December showing ever, behind only the first installment.[40] The film topped the box office on its opening day with $31.2 million.[41] It remained in first place throughout its opening weekend, grossing $73,645,197, a 13% drop from its predecessor.[42] The Desolation of Smaug was in first place at the box office for three consecutive weekends.[43][44]

Outside North America, The Desolation of Smaug was released internationally on 16,405 screens.[45] The film earned $135.4 million in its opening weekend. Its largest openings occurred in China ($33.0 million),[46] Germany ($19.0 million) and the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta ($15.2 million).[47] It topped the box office outside North America on four consecutive weekends[48] and five in total.[49] It is the highest-grossing film of 2013 in many European countries,[50] as well as in New Zealand and Fiji.[51]

Following the Los Angeles premiere, Metro noted that early critical reaction was "glowing", with critics describing it as a "spectacle",[52] while The Guardian reported that it was receiving "much stronger early reviews".[53] However, before the film's theatrical release, E! reported that reviews had been "mixed", but stated they were still "much better" than the previous film.[54] After the film's international release, MTV reported that the film has garnered a "positive" critical reaction,[55] while the Los Angeles Times stated the consensus is that the film "reinvigorates" the series, putting it "back on course".[56] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating with an average rating of 6.79/10 based on 247 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "While still slightly hamstrung by "middle chapter" narrative problems and its formidable length, The Desolation of Smaug represents a more confident, exciting second chapter for the Hobbit series."[57] On aggregate review site Metacritic, the film has a score of 66 out of 100 based on 44 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[58] According to CinemaScore polls the film received an "A-" from audiences.[59]

Nick de Semlyen of Empire awarded the film five stars out of five and wrote that "Middle-earth's got its mojo back. A huge improvement on the previous installment, this takes our adventurers into uncharted territory and delivers spectacle by the ton",[60] while Richard Corliss of TIME declared it one of the top ten films of 2013, and wrote "In all, this is a splendid achievement, close to the grandeur of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films."[61] Justin Chang of Variety wrote that "After a bumpy beginning with An Unexpected Journey, Peter Jackson's 'Hobbit' trilogy finds its footing in this much more exciting and purposeful second chapter."[62] Todd McCarthy of Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Nearly everything... represents an improvement over the first installment of Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved creation." He also praised the High Frame Rate of The Desolation of Smaug as being better than that of An Unexpected Journey.[63] Mark Hughes, who reviewed the film for Forbes, was highly enthusiastic, and felt "The Desolation of Smaug is another grand entry in the Tolkien saga, raising the emotional and physical stakes while revealing more of the sinister forces," before concluding "It’s pleasing to see a filmmaker this in love with storytelling, this committed to creating entire worlds... that’s a rare thing indeed, and for it to turn out so well is even more rare. It’s a sight to behold, and you won’t be sorry you did."[64]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian scored the film four stars out of five, writing, "It's mysterious and strange, and yet Jackson also effortlessly conjures up that genial quality that distinguishes 'The Hobbit' from the more solemn 'Rings' stories."[65] Total Film also scored the film four stars out of five, but reviewer Matt Maytum noted that, in his opinion, the film suffered "from middle-act wobbles." Despite this, he praised the "rousing action... incredible visuals... and one stupendous dragon", and concluded his review saying "There’s a lot to admire in The Desolation of Smaug."[66] Jim Vejvoda, who reviewed the film for IGN, awarded it 8.5 out of 10, and felt "It's a breathlessly told, action-packed crowd-pleaser that restores the luster of the saga for those underwhelmed by its predecessor and leaves you excited for the final chapter in the trilogy."[67]

Conversely, Peter Travers, who reviewed the film for Rolling Stone, gave it two and a half stars out of four. He felt it was "a little less long and a little less boring" than the first installment, and offered praise for the depiction of Smaug, saying "as a digital creation, Smaug is a bloody wonder of slithering fright." He was, however, very critical of the film's padding of a "slender novel", but concluded: "I'd endure another slog through Middle-Earth just to spend more time with Smaug".[68] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph was even less admiring, and awarded it two stars out of five. He too criticised the decision to turn Tolkien's book into three films and felt Jackson "is mostly stalling for time: two or three truly great sequences tangled up in long beards and longer pit-stops." He continued, writing "There is an awful lot of Desolation to wade through before we arrive, weary and panting, on Smaug's rocky porch," and disapproved of the introduction of a love triangle to Tolkien's narrative, adding: "Maybe this really is what a lot of people want to see from a film version of The Hobbit, but let's at least accept that Tolkien would probably not have been among them."[69] The New York Post's Lou Lumenick was extremely negative in his 1.5/4 star review and he compared it to Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and remarked "There are probably enough moments to satisfy hard-core fans, but for the rest of us, this amounts to the Middle Earth equivalent of “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones,’’ a space-holding, empty-headed epic filled with characters and places (digital and otherwise) that are hard to keep straight, much less care about."[70]