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Events on Wednesday 17 December 2003 2
2003Lord of the Rings: Return of the King#1 film of 2003 — $1.12bn worldwideDirected by Peter Jackson. The final chapter of the trilogy. Won 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture — equalling the all-time record.
2003The Return of the King -- 11 Oscars, a clean sweepThe Return of the King is released on 17 December 2003. It wins all 11 Academy Awards for which it is nominated -- tying the record set by Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997). Best Picture, Best Director (Peter Jackson), Best Adapted Screenplay (Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens), Best Score (Howard Shore), Best Song, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Mixing. It is the first (and only) fantasy film to win Best Picture. It grosses $1.12 billion worldwide, bringing the trilogy's total to $2.92 billion.