Dec. 17--Middle-earth made a strong comeback at the box office.
"The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies" made $11.2 million in ticket sales from Tuesday night showings, according to studio estimates.
Peter Jackson's final installment of the "Hobbit" franchise is expected to open to between $70 million to $75 million through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada, though some forecast an even higher debut of $80 million.
The New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film has already pulled in roughly $125 million overseas.
The franchise's second installment, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," took off with $8.8 million in Thursday night showings last year. It went on to gross $258.4 million in the U.S. and Canada and $700.8 million worldwide.
"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," part one of the franchise, made roughly $1 billion worldwide in 2012.
All three films are based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, who also penned "The Lord of The Rings" series.
This weekend, Jackson's film faces competition from Sony's remake of family musical "Annie" and Twentieth Century Fox's "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb."
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