The Lord Of The Rings : The Two Towers propelled Argentine admissions to a record high in January. Admissions rose 60% compared to the same period last year. Another franchise, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, which opened in December 2002, also helped bring back cash -strapped Argentineans to the big screen. Admissions in January increased 30% over December 2001.

The Two Towers , which debuted in Argentina on January 1st, lured 1.1m admissions its first month while Harry Potter attracted 1.2m in December. This year has also seen more releases in January, 19 compared to last year's 14.

The industry is expecting the high admissions to continue in the following weeks as several Oscar contenders are due to hit the local screens. These are led by Chicago, Gangs Of New York, The Hours, Adaptation, About Schmidt and Catch Me If You Can.