For immediate release
Friday 19 December 2003
The King Returns To Rule The Box Office
In a scene reminiscent of Middle-earth’s legions, New Zealanders packed out cinemas yesterday to be among the first to
experience Peter Jackson’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING.
The final installment in The Lord Of The Rings trilogy has claimed the opening day record with an astounding $919,500,
easily surpassing the previous national record of $757,887 held by its predecessor The Lord Of The Rings: The Two
Towers.
Roadshow Film Distributors General Manager Lisa Hubbard said “The New Zealand public have turned out to see both an
extraordinary film and to acknowledge the end of a remarkable chapter in New Zealand cinematic history.”
Support for the film was swift from the outset. After the 12.01am opening, the initial figures for The Lord Of The
Rings: The Return Of The King were sitting at $250,000 as compared to $180,000 taken by The Lord Of The Rings: The Two
Towers.
The opening day result comes hot on the heals of today’s announcement of the 2004 Golden Globe nominations, with THE
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING nominated for:
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Best Director – Motion Picture
Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Best Original Song – Motion Picture
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING released throughout New Zealand yesterday in 75 cinema locations on 114
screens.
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