![]() But there's more driving its success than just pre-existing popularity. On the surface, the reason for "The Return of the King" having such a successful re-release is simple: it's Tolkien. But that doesn't change the fact that "The Return of the King" was able to ride back into theaters with gusto, even after a 20-year hiatus. The lack of any serious competition (Mario aside) also helped. Thursdays aren't historically the big money makers, even with tentpole films. Timing was clearly on the side of Aragorn, Frodo, and company. Despite the disparity in screen count, "The Return of the King" grossed $1.2 million on its 2023 opening night, making it the second most popular film on that day behind the runaway box office hit "Super Mario Bros." In comparison, "Air" only grossed $982,598 and Renfield and "The Pope's Exorcist" came in below that. In comparison, "Air" was playing in 3,507 theaters on its second Thursday, while "Renfield" and "The Pope's Exorcist" were previewing in 2,750 and 2,650 theaters, respectively. Not only that, but it had done so while running in significantly fewer theaters.ĭespite the demand, there were only 1,100 theaters formally participating in the Fathom event. The following day, Indie Wire reported that it hadn't just done well: "The Return of the King" had outgrossed "Air" (in its second week since its release) and both "Renfield" and "The Pope's Exorcist" on their Thursday night openings. The movie hit theaters again on Thursday, April 13th. "The Return of the King" set such an impeccable standard in filmmaking that now, within a few months of the movie's twentieth birthday, it has made its way back into theaters - only to prove with eucatastrophic effect that it's still got it. Even Andy Serkis' fully computer-generated Gollum is still easy to watch (unlike, say, Jar Jar Binks, who only predates Serkis' on-screen character by three years). Even two decades later, they still hold up, from the acting to the sets to the CGI. As a means of celebration, select members of the team were given a custom ring meant to look like a Super Bowl ring with the number "11" in the middle, signifying the number of wins.Both the theatrical and extended editions of Peter Jackson's monumental trilogy have gone down in history as some of the greatest fantasy films ever created. Even 20 years later, this feels remarkable. To become one of the highest-grossing movies in history and one of the most decorated in the history of the Oscars? We're talking the rarest of rare air. And why not? If a movie is very lucky, it can go on to become a commercial success or a critical darling. New Line, understandably, celebrated the victory. No longer did these films need to be looked upon as less-than. That was the key difference: Not only did the movie finally get the Best Picture win to cap off this incredible run, but it proved that a fantasy film could go the distance. Even winning 11 Oscars didnt help Lord of the Rings: Return of the Kings international box office as it dropped 15 to 9.4 million, although that was enough. ![]() "I'm so honored and relieved that the Academy and the members of the Academy that have supported us have seen past the trolls and the wizards and the hobbits in recognizing fantasy this year," Jackson said in his acceptance speech.
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