The weekend warriors for December 14, 2012 includes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and a limited release by Save the Date. Box Office Battlefield is a recurring rundown of all the movie releases for the weekend. Every week, movie studios select candidates to enter the glorious battlefield for your hard earned dollars, but not everyone can afford to see each one. Box Office Battlefield is here to help you decide which movie(s) will take priority over the others.

Last weekend saw Gerard Butler trying to penetrate the box office again with yet another tired rom/com. The box office numbers were down by 32%, but Skyfall was able to slay the vampire menace, which slipped to#3 – just goes to show how strong that audience was. End of Watch made a triumphant comeback to earn almost a $1 million.

It’s pretty much a slaughter this weekend folks. Our old pal from Hobbiton and everyone’s favorite cloaked wizard will be in action. Delivering audiences with more than three different ways to enjoy, it will be interesting to see if high-frame rate catches on. This is the Box Office Battlefield:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Rated PG-13) – Directed by Peter Jackson. Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, and Andy Serkis

Synopsis: A curious Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, journeys to the Lonely Mountain with a vigorous group of Dwarves to reclaim a treasure stolen from them by the dragon Smaug.

It’s pretty much a no brainer. After the critically acclaimed success of Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy, there is no way you can miss his new adaptation of The Hobbit. As part one of three, it will be interesting to see how far beyond the source material Jackson has gone and what we will end with that will lead up to the sequel. The film was shot in high frame rate, 48 frames per second as well as 3D. You can find many variations of the film in most theaters. You can also check it out in IMAX if it is available near you. SEE IT!

Save the Date (2012) [Limited]  (Rated R) – Directed by Michael Mohan.  Starring Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Mark Webber, and Geoffrey Arend

Synopsis: Sarah begins to confront her shortcomings after she rejects her boyfriend’s hasty proposal and soon finds herself in a rebound romance. Meanwhile, her sister Beth is immersed in the details of her wedding.

I love Alison Brie and Lizzy Caplan, but many may not. This isn’t going to be a instant hit, or even a hit at all, but I would go just to see if these ladies can stand on their own. They’ve always been great in supporting roles, but this time they are the Thelma and Louise. Netflix It!

Movie synopses courtesy of IMDb.com

Box Office Battlefield is an ongoing column providing analysis of whether you should see, rent, or pass on movies that are about to release. All of my opinions are based on what I have or have not seen from previews, various marketing materials, or have heard via word of mouth.