[Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] OK, all of you "Lord of the Rings" fans, the final chapter of the popular trilogy is now in theaters. Here are some lucky moviegoers in Colorado Springs. They were first in line for a midnight showing of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Two thousand theaters offered midnight showings. The movie opens in another 1,700 theaters today. So it looks like part three of the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is going to be a real money maker. With the movie showing in 3,700 theaters, well, you do the math. That's a lot of money. Our Andy Culpepper has more on "The Return of the King."
[Begin Video Clip From "the Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King") Unidentified Male:] The board is set. The pieces are moving.
[Andy Culpepper, Cnn Correspondent:] And for one of the most successful franchises in movie history... [Begin Video Clip From "the Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King"]
[Unidentified Male:] The end has come.
[Culpepper:] ... with the debut of the third and final chapter of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Return of the King" will only add to a series that has become a box office powerhouse. The first two films alone have already earned a whopping $1.8 billion worldwide. Beyond its financial success, the series has also distinguished itself from other film franchises in a very unique way.
[Leonard Maltin, "entertainment Tonight":] They've managed to get praise and awards as well as box office numbers around the world. It's really an unusual situation for a film to be a commercial hit and a critical hit and an award getter.
[Culpepper:] As early as last summer, many were already calling "The Return of the King" the Oscar favorite for best picture. Now that the trilogy is complete, it may also mean Oscar gold for director Peter Jackson.
[Cindy Grisole, "entertainment Weekly":] There's a big buzz whether Peter Jackson will finally just be rewarded for this amazing feat. There's a lot of talk that the Academy just sort of waited and wanted to see the films all together and reward the entire trilogy as opposed to one piece of the films.
[Peter Jackson, Director:] I'm hoping for "The Lord of the Rings" to be the most successful film that I ever make, if that's what it actually turns out to be. It's I'm happy to let the voters, you know, who make these decisions just vote for their favorite movies then we'll see what happens.
[Culpepper:] "The Lord of the Rings" filmmakers' , New Line Cinema, a division of Time Warner, which also owns CNN, broke new ground in Hollywood by taking new risks.
[Ian Mckellen, Actor:] All three films were made in the same 15 months and it is an amazing achievement.
[Paul Dergarabedian, Exhibitor Relations:] So it was a huge gamble on the part of New Line and the first film, "The Fellowship of the Ring," had that not been the hit that it was and the phenomenon that it became, it would have sunk the franchise. So everything was riding on that first film. [Begin Video Clip From "the Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King"]
[Unidentified Male:] This day we fight!
[Culpepper:] And to the victor go the spoils. Andy Culpepper, CNN, Los Angeles.