New Line International's TheLord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King is on the cusp of $700m at the international box office as thepicture's recent Academy Awards triumph powered another strong weekend.

The picture grossed $10.7mfrom 3,151 screens in 61 markets - an impressive 11% rise in its 12th weekend -to bring its international cumulative total to $695.6m.

Combined with a domestictally of $371.1m The Return Of The King has taken $1.07bn worldwide.

The Return Of The King overtook Crocodile Dundee to become the second biggest release of all time inAustralia behind Titanic,climbing 33% on $453,200 for $35.6m after 12 weekends.

In its first weekend inChina, local distribution partner China Film Group reported $3.4m from 350screens over three days, an amount that already exceeds the $2.9m final totaltaken by trilogy predecessor The Two Towers.

Japan dropped 15% in itsfifth weekend on $4m from 660 screens over two days to raise the running totalto $64m. It remained number one in key cities.