The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe "". It surpassed the gross of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" by only $1.7 million, although the latter grossed $895.9 million worldwide, ahead of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". It is the highest-grossing film of the 2005 holiday period, the second highest grossing "Christian" film, the 6th largest "family – children's book adaptation", the 9th highest-grossing "fantasy – live action film" and the 10th highest-grossing film overall in Disney company history. Finally, it is the largest film of Walden Media worldwide. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 45 million tickets in North America.
The Chronicles of Narnia and ideas from Greek and Roman mythology as well as from traditional British and Irish fairy tales. The books have profoundly influenced adult and children's fantasy literature since World War II. Lewis's exploration of themes not usually present in children's literature, such as religion, as well as the books' perceived treatment of issues including race and gender, has caused some controversy. Although Lewis originally conceived what would become "The Chronicles of Narnia" in 1939 (the picture of a Faun with parcels in a snowy wood has a history dating to 1914), he did not finish writing the first book "The