As the year comes to a close, the
countdown for 2012 is almost over. Since 2011 was the most successful
sequel-packed year—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,
Transformers 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean—it currently ranks as
the 5th highest-grossing year with $9,406.4 million in the North American bank.
All of the movies listed above were
highly successful grossing more than 1 billion dollars each worldwide. However,
November also brought in a new sequel, Breaking Dawn: Part 1 which has already
grossed over $604.3 million worldwide, with $259.5 million in North American
markets and $344.8 million overseas. Although it is unlikely for it to gross
above $1 billion, the second part will have better luck for avid Twilight fans.
In December 2011, four movies—Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked, Mission
Impossible Ghost Protocol, New Year's Eve, and Sherlock Holmes: A
Game of Shadows—are coming to the cinemas each of which has a good
potential to gross more than $100 million.
1)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked:
After
2 films in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, another sequel is hitting
cinemas about the same time as its predecessors (4 years after the first movie
in the franchise). The franchise has been successful over the years increasing
22.7% in worldwide revenue from the first and the second movie. If the same
trend is followed, Alvin 3 is likely to gross around $543.6 million worldwide.
Although it isn’t an all-time favorite by critics, it seems to appeal to families
more than critics for the holidays. However, 'threequels' have had a though go lately and its unlikely that it gross anywhere near its predecessor. Worldwide forecast: $295 million
2)
Mission
Impossible Ghost Protocol:
After
a long break from Mission Impossible III of 5 years, MI4 is here. Franchise
breaks seem to help sequels in their overall gross. Starting with the first MI,
the series took off with a great start with $457.8 million worldwide. And then
MI2 grossed even more both international markets and North American markets
with $546.4 million—a $100 million more than its predecessor. However, in 2006,
MI3 garnered a mere $397.9 million worldwide, which was a 27.2% decrease from
MI2. Producers attempted to counteract these factors by bringing in renowned
Pixar director Brad Bird and shooting around 30 min. of IMAX footage. Also, the
inclusion of The Dark
Knight Rises prologue
on all IMAX prints should increase ticket sales. Worldwide forecast: $500 million
3)
New
Year's Eve
Being
the sequel to 2010’s Valentine’s Day, it seems very likely to gross
somewhere around its predecessor. Although the character roles and names aren’t
the same, the movie still revolves around a holiday (New Year’s Eve), but unlike
Valentine’s Day it won’t be released on New Year’s Eve. However, both Valentine’s
Day and New Year’s Eve are ensemble films that are based on a
very particular romantic holiday, and both are directed by Garry Marshall.
Valentine's Day debuted to a massive $56.3 million over in 2010, though it
quickly faded away after Valentines and ended with $110.5 million in North
America and $106.0 million. New Year's Eve opened to an underwhelming
$5.080 million on Friday, which is off a huge 65 % from Valentine's
Day's $14.5 million opening day. Flixter ratings are no better either—it
holds a 62% approval rating from cinema goers and a horrible 6% rating from
critics as of December 12, 2011. Worldwide forecast: $180 million
4)
Sherlock
Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Other than the penultimate Twilight movie, the biggest
box-office hit this season is most likely to be Sherlock Holmes 2. In the shadow of Avatar, the first Sherlock Holmes earned a significant $209.0 million in US and Canadian
markets and $315.0 million in international markets, for a grand total of
$524.0 million. Another boost for the sequel is the portrayal of his most famous
nemesis, Professor Moriarty. And a strong villain is known to enhance ticket
sales and revenue as seen in The Dark Knight. Now that Avatar is out of
the way, Holmes 2 has a better chance to gross big amounts. Nonetheless,
sequels have had a tough go lately, so an enormous increase from its
predecessor is not probable. Expect a notable increase in international grosses. Worldwide
forecast: $495 million