Rings finale 'beats Potter total'

The Return of the King has 11 Oscar nominations

The Lord of the Rings finale The Return of the King has reportedly overtaken the first Harry Potter movie to become the second most successful film ever.

The final part of the Rings trilogy is now second only to the Titanic in worldwide takings, Screen Daily said.

The Return of the King has taken $981.9m (£520m), compared with $975.8m (£516.8m) for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the website said.

Titanic, released in 1997, has so far taken $1.8bn (£950m) around the world.

The Return of the King, which is tipped to sweep the Oscars this month, has broken records in nearly every country where it has played.

The biggest films of all time 1. Titanic (1997) - $1.8bn (£953.3m) 2. Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King (2003) - $975.7m (£516.7m) 3. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (2001) - $968.6m (£513m) 4. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999) - $922.3m (£488.5m) Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - $921.6m (£488.1m)

In its first five days after release in December it took $121m (£64m) in 28 territories.

It made its debut in Japan at the weekend at number one, and is expected to pass the $1bn (£530m) barrier at the international box office this weekend.

Director Peter Jackson's movie has already won this year's Golden Globe and Bafta for best film - a feat it is heavily-tipped to repeat at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on 29 February.