#10 - $1.119 billion For a long time, fantasy movies were considered too risky a move by major studios. That explains why Peter Jackson initially struggled to make The Lord Of The Rings as he envisioned it, but it's a good thing he did - all three movies were massive successes. The biggest of the lot was the epic finale, The Return of the King. The anticipation surrounding the release of the finale to Jackson's trilogy was at an all-time high in 2003, and it smashed box office record after record; it was also only the second movie to reach the $1 billion mark worldwide. The Return Of The King also found amazing critical success, earning eleven Academy Award nominations. Amazingly, it won all the categories for which it was nominated (including Best Picture and Best Director) and still holds the record for highest Oscar wins along with Titanic and Ben Hur. A perfect ending to what could arguably be called a perfect trilogy.
