So what explains big-budget winners like Titanic, Gladiator and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King?

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The Hobbit outperformed the US debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Peter Jackson's previous best opening in December 2003.

BBC: The Hobbit holds on to box office crown

You have to go back to 2003 to find a top five nominee: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won Best Picture that year.

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It's such an incredible achievement that there's no way I cannot say that the best score this year is Howard Shore's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

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The Fellowship of the Ring: being the first part of The Lord of the Rings and The Two Towers: being the second part of The Lord of the Rings were both released in 1954, followed by The Return of the King: being the third part of The Lord of the Rings in 1955.

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While at EA he also produced Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and 007: From Russia With Love.

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The Return of the King, the last installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, opens next week.

NPR: 'The Lord of the Rings' Gamble Pays Off