(Business 2.0) – The final installment of the Lord of the Rings films, The Return of the King, premieres eight days before Christmas. Produced for a total of $310 million, the trilogy has already grossed $1.8 billion for New Line Cinema and Time Warner. If the third installment does as well as its predecessors, the set could eventually surpass George Lucas's first Star Wars trilogy as the most successful series of all time.