User blog:Ceauntay/2012 Movie Preview: Can superheroes and 'The Hunger Games' save struggling box office?

What will be the biggest movies of 2012? Will this year's most-anticipated films like "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hunger Games" fare better than 2011 at the box office?

According to The Associated Press, movie attendance is down to a 16-year low. About 1.28 billion people went to the movies in 2011, roughly 4 percent fewer than last year, and closer to the less impressive crowds of the mid-90's when films like "The Birdcage" and "Jerry Maguire" were on the big screen.

Film critic Roger Ebert blamed theaters for the decline, citing overpriced tickets and refreshments and not enough policing moviegoers' cell phone use during showings.

But a decent holiday season for Tom Cruise and "Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol" is a good sign for the year ahead, the New York Daily News reports. The box office over New Year's weekend was 10 percent higher than the same period in 2010, analyst Paul Dergarabedian said.

"It provided a silver lining in all this doom and gloom for the industry in 2011," Dergarabedian explained. "It gives me hope that 2012 can be the big box office year we are hoping for."

While predictable sequels ("American Reunion," "Scary Movie 5," "Paranormal Activity 4") and remakes ("Total Recall," "Dredd," "21 Jump Street") are in the lineup, analysts say the outlook is good. Here's a look at some of the most anticipated films of 2012:

•"The Hunger Games" -- March 23 A broad cast (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz) stars in a not-so-distant future where people fight to the death on live television.

•"Titanic 3D" -- April 6 James Cameron's telling of the famous ship's sinking is still the No. 2 highest-grossing film of all time, according to IMDb. (Cameron's "Avatar" is No. 1, incidentally.) It was only a matter of time before Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio got the 3D treatment for more box office dollars.

•"Family Guy: The Movie" -- April 27 Seth McFarland brings the Griffin family to the big screen for the first time for a big adventure they are facing for the first time -- being protected from the world from coming to an end.

•"The Avengers" -- May 4 Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemwsorth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and more Marvel superheroes team up in an epic showdown directed by Joss Whedon.

•"The Dictator" -- May 11 Controversial "Borat" star Sacha Baron Cohen pokes fun at a dictator opposing democracy. Anna Faris, Megan Fox and John C. Reilly also appear.

•"Men In Black III" -- May 25 Agent J (Will Smith) has to travel back in time to find Agent K (with Josh Brolin as the younger version of Tommy Lee Jones) and save Earth.

•"Snow White And The Huntsman" -- June 1 Snow White gets two re-imaginings this year ("Mirror, Mirror" and this one) and here, a dark fantasy trilogy begins with White (Kristen Stewart) and Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) teaming up with dwarves to crush the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron).

•"Prometheus" -- June 8 Ridley Scott returns to direct this sort-of prequel to "Alien" with a strong cast (Theron, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba) but will fans of the original films miss Sigourney Weaver?

•"Brave" -- June 22 Merida, a Scottish princess with a penchant for archery and trouble-making, is Pixar's first movie with a female lead.

•"The Amazing Spider-Man" -- July 4 Peter Parker's origin story gets retold with Andrew Garfield (who played Eduardo Saverin in "The Social Network") as the web-slinging hero and "Easy A" actress Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey.

•"The Dark Knight Rises" -- July 20 Little has been revealed about Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated third Batman film, but a trailer shows villain Bane (Tom Hardy) causing mayhem and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) teasing Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale).

•"iCarly: The Sequel" -- July 27 After two years since "iCarly: The Movie", Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) and her friends (Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress and Noah Munck) and brother (Jerry Trainor) are returning to theaters. "Twilight" actress Kristen Stewart guess stars as well as "Scream 4's" Nico Tortorella.

•"The Bourne Legacy" -- August 3 With Matt Damon absent, "The Hurt Locker" star Jeremy Renner takes the role of a super agent in Robert Ludlum's world.

•"The Expendables 2" -- August 17 While critics weren't impressed with Sylvester Stallone's first "Expendables," fans are optimistic with "Con-Air" director Simon West taking over the sequel. Plus, the addition of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris to Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jet Li and Bruce Willis easily makes this the biggest cast in action movie history.

•"Taken II" -- October 5 Liam Neeson wreaked havoc in France trying to get his daughter back in the first film. Now the father of one of the dead kidnappers is seeking revenge.

•"Skyfall" -- November 9 Despite setbacks, James Bond's 23rd film is set for release this fall with Daniel Craig as 007, "No Country For Old Men" actor Javier Bardem as the villain, and "American Beauty" director Sam Mendes at the helm.

Movie Trailer -- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a precious treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug. Watch video

•"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" -- December 14 "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson continues the epic Tolkien saga with this prequel starring Martin Freeman as the young version of Bilbo Baggins.

•"Lincoln" -- December (TBA) While "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" could be a fun summer flick, "Lincoln" tells a more accurate story of the 16th President of the United States during the Civil War. Oscar buzz is already underway as director Steven Spielberg and three leading actors (Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones) are all previous award winners.

•"World War Z" -- December 21 Brad Pitt stars in his first zombie movie based on the post-apocalyptic horror novel about survivors of a great war with the undead.

•"The Great Gatsby" -- Christmas Day "Moulin Rouge" director Baz Luhrmann works his movie magic on this remake of Robert Redford's adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic with Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Isla Fisher.

More 2012 movies of note, from Movie Moron: "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," "Gravity," "Jack The Giant Killer," "Paradise Lost," "Battleship," "Underworld 4," the Wachowski brothers' "Cloud Atlas," Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows," "Wrath Of The Titans," "Madagascar 3," "Ice Age: Continental Drift," Nicolas Cage in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," "Resident Evil 5," Keanu Reeves in "47 Ronin," and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II."

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Related topics: box office, James Bond, Movie Revenues, Skyfall, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games