Fresh from crossing the $1 billion worldwide box office mark, Village Roadshow Australia have officially set the Blu-ray and DVD release of 2012's Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey for May 1st. This comes five weeks after the U.S. release of the film from Warner Home Video.

To be released in three variants; a standard DVD, two disc Blu-ray and three disc 3D Blu-ray, all versions will be the first Australian discs to come with the Ultraviolet digital rights system which has been employed in the United States for some time, allowing for format agnostic playback on multiple devices, including set top media players, tablets, phones and computers.

Based on the much loved book by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey split critics on release, with many disenfranchised with the 48 fps visuals. My review for the film can be found here.

The film's middle sequel The Desolation of Smaug has been set for this December. The trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey can be viewed below.