Huge Opening For The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings Part 3 could do over $1 billion in sales.

If it maintains its pace, The Return of the King could become the first film to pass the $1 billion mark worldwide since 1997's Oscar-winning Titanic, which raked in an astounding $1.8 billion.

The massive appeal, notes Dergarabedian, has to do with the fact that The Return of the King also isn't your average movie sequel.

"It really is one continuous arc of a story and if you loved the first two movies, you have to see the third film," adds Dergarabedian. "And when people are talking it up as the best of the three, that can only bode well for your box office. The buzz is so positive it's going to make the box office potential grow that much more."

While the nearly three hour, 29-minute running time means theaters theoretically lose one showing a day due to the extended running time, something owners have compensated with by unspooling the flick on several screens throughout the day, night and wee hours.

According to New Line, Return of the King's worldwide gross for Wednesday topped $57 million, crushing the $43 million previous record set by The Matrix Revolutions in its global debut November 5.