Vudu is now offering Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in digital form before the Blu-ray Disc and DVD street date of March 19, 2013. The digital purchase from Vudu will get you the 170-minute film along with 4 bonus featurettes: “The Journey Back to Middle-Earth,” “Bilbo and the Riddle Game,” “Gandalf and the White Council,” and “Thorin and the ‘Song of the Lonely Mountain.'”
Vudu is selling The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in HD or HDX (1080p) quality for $19.99. SD quality is five dollars less at $14.99. Vudu will also offer The Hobbit as a rental when it releases on March 19.
In contrast, the Blu-ray Disc version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will include 10 production video blogs and the special feature “New Zealand: Home of Middle Earth.” A Game Trailer is also included. The Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D editions also include a DVD and UltraViolet digital copy of the film.
Other retailers selling The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey one week before the disc releases include Amazon ($19.99 HD/$14.99 SD), iTunes ($19.99 HD/$14.99 SD), and Best Buy’s CinemaNow ($22 HD/$16 SD).
Warner Bros.’ The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy violence and frightening images.
