"Return Of The King" Makes $8 Million Overnight

The King returned at midnight in North America as New Line's highly anticipated release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" arrived in theaters at midnight Wednesday and reaped a stunning estimate of $8 million.

The exceptionally well-reviewed "Return of the King," the third film in the epic trilogy based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, had midnight shows in 2,100 theaters, according to the distributor. The highest-grossing first day in history is owned by Sony's "Spider-Man," with $43.6 million. But that was on a Friday in early May, and the running time on "Spider-Man" was nearly half that of "Return of the King."

The trilogy is a monumental feat for director Peter Jackson, who got his start with low-budget horror films like "Bad Taste" and the excellent dark comedy gorefest "Dead Alive" before moving on to the acclaimed true-crime story "Heavenly Creatures" and the underrated horror comedy "The Frighteners". Jackson has talked about making "The Hobbit" into a movie, but his next big epic is a remake of "King Kong".

In other Peter Jackson news, the 19th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor the director by presenting him with the festival's Modern Master Award.

Source: Hollywood Reporter