12-23-2002, 07:34 PM
From today's Daily NEws
Quote:'Rings' part 2 towers over
its movie rivals
By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
"Lord of the Rings" is lord of the box office again this Christmas.
The second film in the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy trilogy not only obliterated all its box office competition this weekend but also broke some of its own records, set during the 2001 holiday season.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" grossed an estimated $61.5 million from Friday through yesterday, and $101.5million in the five days since it opened Wednesday.
Last year's first installment, "The Fellowship of the Ring," which also opened the Wednesday before Christmas, earned $47.2 million for its first three-day weekend and $75.1 million in its first five days.
"Two Towers," which was generally considered darker and more action-oriented than its predecessor, made $26 million its first day, well above the single-day December record of $18.2million set by "Fellowship."