Redbox Wants Your Tweets and Credit Cards to See "The Hobbit" for Free

Last December,

released

to cinemas all over the world.

The Peter Jackson-directed epic was the start of a new trilogy for Warner Bros., which will continue this Christmas with

and conclude in 2014 with

. Thus far, the new series has been very profitable for Time Warner.

earned an unexpected

at the box office, surpassing the global earnings of the first two films in

trilogy. Only

-- which earned

worldwide -- has made more.

success did not end at the box office. The DVD and Blu-ray sold

during the first two weeks at retail, proving that at least some moviegoers were eager for a second viewing. Now that the film has been available to rent for roughly two months, Redbox Instant -- the streaming video service from

and

-- is giving consumers the chance to see the film for free. Users were alerted of the giveaway this morning when they received an e-mail with the following message:

The two companies launched a new site, GiveMeAMovieNight.com, to promote the giveaway. Thus far, only a small number of individuals have tweeted the necessary message, as evidenced by the company's

. Redbox Instant currently charges $4.99 for an

of

. The high-def version goes for $5.99, but users can choose to buy either the standard-def version ($15.50) or HD version ($20) instead. The DVD and Blu-ray versions are also available for rental through the company's kiosk service. In order to see

for free, consumers will need to start by tweeting an unspecified number of messages. According to Redbox's

, "As long as the word is spread, we will unlock the rental, there is no minimum requirement." That vague condition means that tweeters should get to see

even if this campaign turned out to be a flop. Before they can start streaming the film, however, viewers will be required to sign up for a Redbox Instant account. "…You do not have to be a subscriber, but a Redbox Instant by Verizon account will be required," Redbox wrote on its FAQ page. "A payment card is required to set up a Redbox Instant by Verizon account, but your card will not be charged for the rental of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey during the offer period." After that has been taken care of, Redbox wants

fans to know that some restrictions do apply: "There are 3 time periods associated with this offer. You must rent the The

between 8:00 a.m. ET on 5/22/2013 and 12 a.m. ET on 5/23/2013. From this date you have 30 days to start watching the movie. Once you start watching it, you have 48 hours to view the movie as many times and on as many supported registered devices as you choose."