{"id":54841,"date":"2012-04-06T19:51:50","date_gmt":"2012-04-07T00:51:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/?p=54841"},"modified":"2012-04-06T19:53:17","modified_gmt":"2012-04-07T00:53:17","slug":"film-friday-can-the-hobbit-rule-them-all-in-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theonering.net\/torwp\/2012\/04\/06\/54841-film-friday-can-the-hobbit-rule-them-all-in-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Film Friday: Can ‘The Hobbit’ rule them all in 2012?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>2012 will be a watermark year for the movie business but this week looks a lot like the 1990s and presented some problems for TheOneRing.net\u2019s Film Friday. I didn\u2019t want to watch \u201cTitanic,\u201d or \u201cAmerican Reunion,\u201d which are likely this week\u2019s biggest new releases. In each case, I feel like I have been there before.<\/p>\n

I have been much more interested this week in a discussion with some Facebook friends about which films will rule the 2012 box office numbers. \u201cThe Hunger Games,\u201d is proving to be a powerful financial force. Some of these friends are fans of \u201cThe Hobbit,\u201d but don\u2019t think the film can win the finally tally for the year\u2019s biggest moneymaker. I disagree. (Oh and while we are talking about the film, any media member who writes that it is a prequel is lazy, inaccurate and deserves a gentle kick in the shins. The story stands alone, came first and is so much more than just a lead-up to LOTR.)<\/p>\n

While studios care deeply about the financial returns, fans are a lot more interested in art and a thrill at the movies. Still, there is some fun in watching the box office derby and it seems like a dozen websites have sprung up devoted to doing just that.<\/p>\n

Lets take a look at one man\u2019s predictions of the final top 10 box office films released in 2012.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

#10. Prometheus<\/strong> \u2014 This might be a little optimistic for an R-rated horror film but the trailer wowed the crowd at WonderCon and those “Alien” films, which this is, are revered almost religiously these days so buzz may build and it may hit.<\/p>\n

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\n#9. Men in Black 3<\/strong> \u2014 Will Smith is a still a great big movie star and it has been long enough for people to forget the unsatisfying second film in the trilogy. And, something needs to be funny in the top 10.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#8. Skyfall<\/strong> \u2014 James Bond. Remember him? This film, like Hobbit films was held up by MGM\u2019s financial woes. So far, it isn\u2019t on the public radar much, but a strong legacy and success from the last two, give this film a shot to be the biggest Bond ever.<\/p>\n

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\n#7. Brave<\/strong> \u2014 We haven\u2019t heard from Pixar since \u201cUp,\u201d but \u201cCars,\u201d aside, they don\u2019t suck. The formula may be recycled but the characters never are for this group. Putting story first makes great movies for the widest possible audience.<\/p>\n

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\n#6. The Amazing Spider-Man<\/strong> \u2014 A franchise reboot? What? Why? Oh but then you see the trailers and the images and they are doing this right. All three Spidey films did big business, even the bad one. I confess to being a semi-hostile skeptic with a soft spot for the great Sam Raimi, but I am won over by everything I see and I believe buzz and word-of-mouth may push this higher.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#5. Breaking Dawn Part II<\/strong> \u2014 Yep. Goodbye.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#4. Hunger Games<\/strong> \u2014 A well-made franchise starter, this flick is popular with critics, fans and studio cash counters. Amazing that the director just walked away. It has legs too, enough legs to kick \u201cTitantic 3D\u201d around this weekend.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#3. Avengers<\/strong> \u2014 There has never been a film quite like this; it takes a bunch of known box office heroes and puts them all together. However, of the group only Iron Man has soared above $300 million in domestic cash, which is a mark the film needs to surpass to rise this high or higher on the final list. Director Joss Whedon excels at group dynamics in storytelling. If this thing has heart to go with the action, it might challenge the top two films on this list. Inside buzz says it is a strong emotional film that could feel more epic than it does. (Fine by me!) Personally, can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

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\n#2. The Dark Knight Rises<\/strong> \u2014 It is easy to forget how much money this character has made for Warners, including with Michael Keaton in the suit. The last Dark Knight film grossed over $500 million domestically and despite what many say, not just because of the late Heath Ledger\u2019s work. It worked on many levels, was wildly entertaining but also had depth and humanity. Director Christopher Nolan made \u201cInception,\u201d in between these films and it made cash without being a sequel, without a franchise and with no superheroes. He has credibility. He makes money. He makes great cinema and this could end up first. Personally, beyond can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n#1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey<\/strong> \u2014 This isn\u2019t me rooting for a Middle-earth film. This isn\u2019t me pandering to an audience pre-destined to agree with me. I believe this film, not-so-patiently-anticipated for a decade, will be a thing \u2014 the thing in 2012. Seventeen years before \u201cThe Lord of the Rings,\u201d existed, J.R.R. Tokien’s children’s book was beloved. Celebrating its 75th year of publication, it has been read by and read to generations. One of the most popular titles of the 20th Century, it has family appeal, heart, humor, excellent casting and a director in Peter Jackson working in his comfort zone with enough budget to solve problems. TheOneRing.net is about to see this first hand (see an article later today for details) but this has all the right elements to simply explode on its opening weekend (a given) and then keep sucking in audiences if it satisfies. Remember ROTK has the second best opening ever with $72 million, but, on a Wednesday!<\/p>\n

Can it eclipse the billion-dollar mark like the last film to visit Middle-earth did? Yes. People will take off work and skip school and plan trips around this opening. For some, and this isn\u2019t hyperbolic, it is the film event of a lifetime. It also has the 3D bump with its 48 frames-per-second jump in technology that might just improve the visuals for those who hate glasses. On every level this has a chance to be among the biggest film(s) ever and it will need to be to hold off Batman. WB doesn\u2019t lose either way. Personally, not waiting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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