Which Peter Jackson film was the first to be released in 48 frames per second?

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was the first of his films to be released using 48 frames per second. The high-frame-rate version doubled the traditional cinema rate of 24 frames per second.

Jackson and cinematographer Andrew Lesnie used the faster rate to create smoother motion, reduce blur and make 3D images easier to watch. The format was marketed as High Frame Rate 3D and became one of the film’s major technical innovations when it premiered in 2012. It was also the first feature film with a wide release to use 48 fps.

The film’s technical release was more complicated than the question suggests. Many cinemas did not have equipment capable of showing 48 fps, so they screened versions converted to the standard 24 fps. The two later Hobbit films—The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies—also received 48 fps releases, but they followed An Unexpected Journey rather than pioneering the format.