Having had its release delayed for a month, due to the current economic crisis, Lord Of The Rings shattered Argentina's admissions record for an opening weekend when it debuted last Wednesday (January 30).

The Peter Jackson fantasy thriller attracted 84,626 admissions from 141 screens on its first day, trouncing the opening records set by Titanic (64,483) and Star Wars: Episode 1 (59,780).

Rings amassed 338,483 admissions by Sunday, making it the country's biggest opening weekend ever in terms of admissions - 8% higher than Titanic and 29% than Star Wars: Episode 1, according to Warner Bros. Argentina.

However, due to the devaluation of the local currency, in box office terms Rings took third place after Titanic and Star Wars: Episode 1.

Rings earned pesos 1,683,792 ($940,113) compared to Titanic's pesos 1,834,000 and Episode 1's pesos 1,809,000. In dollar terms, it fared much worse; Titanic and Episode 1 were released at a time when the peso was pegged one-to-one to the US dollar.