Warner Bros. announced today that «The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” the final film in Peter Jackson’s trilogy adaptation of the The Hobbit, will now be released on December 17, 2014.

According to Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution,  the change from July to December, it’s a «Holiday treat» for  moviegoers.

«We’re excited to complete the Trilogy the same way we started it, as a holiday treat for moviegoers everywhere.”- Said Fellman.

Added Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures:

“Our holiday release of the first film set a successful precedent for this wonderful Trilogy, and we’re delighted to bring it to a conclusion in the same release window.”

The film moves from its previous summer slot, and now follows the holiday release pattern of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,”  as well as the three films in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy. The second film in “The Hobbit” Trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” is next to be released, on December 13, 2013.

“The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” the final film in the Trilogy adapting  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The three films are prequels of  Lord of the Rings  set in Middle-earth 60 years before.   Jackson directed “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” from a screenplay by Jackson’s wife, the secreenwriter/film producer Fran Walsh  , Producer/Screen Writer  Philippa Boyens(The Lovely Bones, King Kong) , and Peter Jackson.

Jackson is also producing the film, together with Film producer Carolynne Cunningham (King Kong, District 9) , Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn,  New Line Cinema President Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins(District 9) and Carolyn Blackwood,(Butterfly Effect II legal assistant @ New Line Cinema) with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

All three films in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.