Yeah, you read that right. The running total on the production cost of The Hobbit trilogy is at $561 million dollars so far.

[Variety](http://variety.com/2013/film/news/hobbit-trilogy-has-cost-561-million-so-far-1200694351/):

> Making the movie trilogy “The Hobbit” has cost more than half a billion dollars so far, double the amount spent on the three movies in the “The Lord of the Rings” series.

> That figure includes the major 266 days of filming with actors that was completed last year, although it doesn’t include an additional two months or so of “pick-up” shoots done this year. There will likely also be additional post-production costs as the next two movies are completed.

> Through March 31, production had cost 676 million New Zealand dollars, or $561 million at current exchange rates, according to financial documents filed Friday in New Zealand, where the movies are being made.

Holy shit that’s a lot of cash and they aren’t even done. Then again, the Lord of the Rings trilogy cost just shy of $300 Million and they took in around $3 Billion total, and while the running total here seems astronomical, _An Unexpected Journey_ took i over a billion dollars by itself, more than footing the bill even when you factor in promotion. So while they may not make as much profit as The Lord of the Rings did? They’re not exactly about to go bankrupt.

Still. Damn that’s a lot of cash.