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The Hobbit in 48fps HFR to be screened at 29 Vue cinemas

Vue has confirmed 29 cinemas that will show The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in HFR at 48 frames per second.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
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Richard Trenholm
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If you want to view The Hobbit as it's meant to be seen, head to your local Vue. Vue has confirmed 29 cinemas that will show The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in HFR at 48 frames per second.

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has filmed his three Hobbit films at a frame rate of 48fps, twice the rate of traditional cinema presentations. This high frame rate, or HFR, gives extra clarity to the film by reducing blur when the camera moves. But only select cinemas are planning to screen the film at the increased frame rate.

IMAX and Showcase were the first to confirm HFR presentations, with Cineworld also pledging HFR at 25 cinemas.

An upgrade to existing projectors is required to present films in HFR, although it doesn't require as much new kit as 3D, so shouldn't add a premium to your ticket. That said, The Hobbit's HFR screenings are also in 3D, so you will need to pay a bit extra and wear 3D glasses to see HFR for the first time.

Regular 3D or good old-fashioned 2D screenings are also available. If you've already booked your ticket with Vue, you can swap it for a 3D HFR screening.

The Vue cinemas which will present The Hobbit at 48fps are:

  • Acton
  • Bolton
  • Bristol Cribbs Causeway
  • Bury
  • Camberley
  • Dublin
  • Edinburgh Omni
  • Exeter
  • Finchley North
  • Finchley Road
  • Fulham
  • Halifax
  • Harrow
  • Hull
  • Islington
  • Leeds Kirkstall 
  • Livingston
  • Newcastle-under-Lyme
  • Norwich
  • Oxford
  • Plymouth
  • Portsmouth
  • Reading
  • Staines
  • Swansea
  • Watford
  • Westfield London
  • Westfield Stratford
  • York

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released on 13 December. Will you journey to seek out an HFR screening? I'll expect your thoughts in the comments or on our hairy-footed Facebook page.

Update: Odeon has also announced the cinemas that will show The Hobbit at 48fps. Here's the list:

  • Bath
  • Belfast
  • Birmingham Broadway Plaza
  • Blackpool
  • Bournemouth
  • Braehead
  • Brighton
  • Cardiff
  • Chelmsford
  • Dundee (Douglas Field)
  • Dunfermline
  • Glasgow Quay
  • Greenwich
  • Guildford
  • Hatfield
  • Huddersfield
  • Kensington
  • Kettering
  • Kingston
  • Leicester Square
  • Lincoln
  • Liverpool One
  • Manchester Printworks
  • Marble Arch
  • Metrocentre
  • Newcastle East
  • Norwich
  • Oxford Magdalen St
  • Southampton
  • Surrey Quays
  • Taunton
  • Trafford Centre
  • Tunbridge Wells
  • Uxbridge the Chimes
  • Whiteleys Lounge
  • Wimbledon
  • Wrexham