3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)
Peter Jackson's epic conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the greatest achievements in movie history; a visually breathtaking, gorgeously designed, emotionally satisfying conclusion to one of cinema's landmark achievements. Audiences clearly agreed as box office takings increased with each entry in the series, culminating in Return of the King becoming only the second movie in history to cross the billion-dollar mark. Tying up all the loose ends across multiple plot strands as Frodo attempts to complete his epic quest to destroy the Ring (stop sniggering at the back...), each of the Fellowship are given ample screentime to complete their narrative arcs as the sprawling story draws to a close. Of course, at 200 minutes in length that shouldn't be surprising, especially when the movie decides to have half-a-dozen endings that verge on the tedious. But I digress; the smaller character moments are just as important to the movie as the incredible battle scenes, and there are plenty of both. Arguably the pinnacle of fantasy cinema, Return of the King brings an end to one of cinema's greatest trilogies with a blend of action, humor, heart and pathos that delighted critics and audiences alike to the tune of ten-figure box office and eleven Academy Awards. Following a domestic opening weekend of $72.7m, the overwhelmingly positive response to Return of the King saw audiences and critics alike label it as a 'must-see' event, and it set first-weekend records around the world, holding extremely well throughout the holiday season to become the first movie in six years to reach a billion dollars, ultimately closing with almost $1.12bn. It speaks volumes for the popularity of Return of the King that ten years after its release, with increasing ticket prices and 3D premiums now commonplace, it still remains the seventh biggest movie of all time.