| Monday, December 29, 2003 Posted: 10:25 PM EST (0325 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Hobbits held sway at movie theaters around the world over the Christmas holiday weekend as the final installment in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy powered towards $500 million after less than two weeks.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" has grossed $492.1 million from North America and 38 countries elsewhere.
The epic fantasy is outpacing both its predecessors and should reach $1 billion, said Rolf Mittweg, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at New Line Cinema. New Line is a unit of Time Warner Inc., as is CNN.com.
The new film's foreign haul of $268.4 million includes $48 million from Britain, $45 million from Germany and $30 million from France. The film opened on Friday in Australia, and has already pulled in $8.7 million.
"With the release of each film, the emotional resonance and dramatic impact have only increased," Mittweg said.
Despite its success, the film has a long way to go before unseating all-time champ "Titanic," which grossed about $1.8 billion worldwide. The first film in the "Rings" series, "The Fellowship of the Ring" earned $865 million worldwide.
In North America, "The Return of the King" combined with four new releases, led by the Steve Martin comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen," to drive ticket sales to a record high for the Christmas weekend.
The top 12 films grossed $168.6 million, according to tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. The tally represents an 8 percent increase over the year-ago period, which held the record for a Christmas weekend. | |
