'Hobbit' makes its mark on a redefined New Line.(film)(New Line Cinema Corp.)

Two years ago, the 40-plus-year run of New Line as a largely autonomous film entity came to an abrupt end with the ouster of founder Bob Shaye and a restructuring that brought the company fully as a unit under the mantel of Warner Bros. After a run of films that had seen less-than-stellar B.O. returns ("Shoot 'Em Up," "Nativity," "Number 23," "The Golden Compass," "Tenacious D," "Domino," "Snakes on a Plane") and Shaye's attention diverted to his pet helming project "The Last Mimzy," New Line was given a new mandate: Go through studio toppers Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov for greenlights, make about six pictures a year and focus mostly on bread-and-butter genre and comedy fare ... along with the occasional tentpole.

Now, with a leaner New Line having banked a run of solid performers (mostly romantic comedies such as "He's Just Not That Into You" and "17 Again") and a genuine blockbuster ("Sex and the City"), the division is …