‘Rings’ films are golden for Jackson

The box office success of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy has made him very rich. Sales of merchandise linked to movies of the J.R.R. Tolkien books are set to make him even richer.

The Wellington, New Zealand-based director saw his wealth balloon from $45 million last year to $118 million this year, according to a list of rich New Zealanders published Friday in a National Business Review magazine survey.

“This could double once the sales of other merchandise, including toys and DVDs, are taken into account,” said the magazine’s editor in chief, Nevil Gibson. “Because of this, his wealth will continue to increase steadily in the years to come, regardless of the success of his new ventures, such as ‘King Kong.’ ”