Posted on January 1, 2004 - by John

Lord of the Rings Breaks Box office in 13 Countries

Return of the King has broken box office records in 13 countries around the world since its release on Wednesday.

The film raked in a total of $57.6m (£32.6m) in worldwide ticket sales on the first day alone, setting first day opening records in most countries.

In the US it took $34.1m (£19.2m), making it the highest grossing movie ever on a Wednesday, surpassing the $28.5m achieved by Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The film ranked as the third highest opener overall, behind Spiderman ($39.4m, £22.2m) and Matrix Reloaded ($37.5m, £21.1m).