The first movie of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring," earned an estimated $17.1 million on its first day of release Wednesday in North America. However, Variety reported that those figures could be even higher as more counts come in.

That opening puts the J.R.R. Tolkien classic on pace to become the biggest December opening in history, with a projected five-day total somewhere in the $70 million and $80 million range.

The movie might only be a day old in theaters, but award nominations are already pouring into director Peter Jackson's office. Golden Globe nominations were announced Thursday with "Lord of the Rings" picking up four nods by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The film is up for Best Motion Picture -- Drama, as well as Best Director for Peter Jackson, Best Original Score for Howard Shore and Best Original Song for Enya's "May It Be."

Speaking of "May It Be," the official "Lord of the Rings" Web site has released the new video in its site. You can download it by clicking here.

The Golden Globes are considered a precursor to the Academy Awards' Oscars and will be handed out in January.