With the final chapter now complete, The Lord of the Rings is now being proclaimed the most successful cinematic trilogy ever.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the jewel in the crown of the masterful trilogy.

The three-part story of courage, friendship, honor and duty - spanning The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King, is ideally suited to epic filmmaking. It is steeped in fast-paced action and grand adventure, yet still grounded in humanity - a rare combination among large-scale film extravaganzas.

In a game of revision and counter-revision, the title holder for the biggest worldwide opening in history — which has passed during the past few days from “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” to “The Matrix Revolutions” and then back to “Two Towers” — is once again in the “Matrix” camp.

After adding in some late-arriving international grosses, Warner Bros. is now claiming victory for “The Matrix Revolutions,” which amassed $202.8 million in its first five days since opening last Wednesday. That puts it slightly ahead of New Line’s “Towers,” which racked up $201.9 million in its first five days late last year.