As distributors and producers and even fans try to get Oscar hype for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the movie took its first step in that direction after it was nominated for four Golden Globe awards.

The Golden Globes are presented each year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and many times, serves as a precursor for the Academy of Motion Picture Sciences' Oscar awards.

"The Return of the King" is up for Best Picture in the drama category. Also Peter Jackson is up for Best Directing. Howard Shore for Best Original Score and "Into the West" as best original song. That song was performed by Annie Lennox.

The Golden Globes will be handed out Jan. 25, and aired live on NBC.

Also, the opening midnight previews of the film drew in big money.

According to Variety, "The Return of the King" sold out its 2,100 midnight showings Dec. 16 for a grand total of $8 million in estimated receipts.

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