Fro-Dough Bagging

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It's been just two weeks since the debut of the final installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it has already taken in more than $500 million in global box office receipts. No, that's really not much of a surprise. Everyone figured that The Return of the King would be a multiplex magnet. The fact that critics and moviegoers are both raving about the classy epic will assure that the movie enjoys a rich theatrical life before moving on to the small screen and beyond.

Distributed by Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) New Line Cinema in a deal that even finds Disney (NYSE: DIS) slicing a 5% cut, there's clearly plenty of this pie to go around. Another unlikely company that is raking in some Frodo dough is Marvel (NYSE: MVL). No, Tolkien wasn't a comic books illustrator. However, Marvel is the company behind the movie's popular action figures.

You also have Topps (Nasdaq: TOPP) to consider. Yes, the company is better known for its baseball cards, but it's also the one behind The Lord of the Rings trading cards as well.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about other companies, such as Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) and Hasbro (NYSE: HAS), that have products riding on the franchise. Yet, it seems that everywhere you turn, companies like Kellogg's (NYSE: K) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ) have cashed in on the trilogy's popularity.

While Tolkien's ring was a heavy burden on Frodo Baggins, it has clearly not been as taxing to corporate America.

What? You haven't seen The Return of the King yet? What are you waiting for? If you did, did it do the book justice? All this and more -- in the Lord of the Rings discussion board. Only on Fool.com.