With a new year comes a whole host of movies to look forward to. Nearly one month in, 2015 looks to be an amazing year for movies. We already have had the controversial American Sniper break January opening weekend box office totals(over $90 million), so the year has already started off with a bang. With mega blockbusters like Avengers 2 and Star Wars Episode 7, new live action takes on classics like Cinderella and Peter Pan, sequels many thought would never happen(Jurassic Park World, and the new Terminator movie come to mind), book turned movies(Mocking Jay Part 2 and Fifty Shades of Grey), Superhero movies(obscure like Ant Man, and iconic like Fantastic Four) and a Sponge Bob movie, the list is incredible. Narrowing it down to a top 5 most anticipated movies is a tall order, but as a movie buff, I’m up to the challenge.

Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens Despite fierce competition from The Avengers, could I really select anything else? I wasn’t even alive in 1983 when Return of the Jedi(episode 6 for the uninformed) came out. Now over 30 years later this sequel to the industry-changing series, and quite possibly the most iconic movie series ever(at least for sci-fi—-sorry Star Trek), is finally coming to theaters after years of being an unlikely hope of millions of fans. Lets hope a returning cast combined with a new crop of actors and the genius of J.J. Abrams are enough to do this wildly anticipated movie justice. Either way I expect it will have the biggest opening day/week of the year, if not all-time. Unfortunately we’ll have to wait til the end of the year to see Star Wars once again on the big screen.

The Avengers:Age of Ultron Though it doesn’t seem to be the Avengers movie everyone is waiting for(what happened to the strange purplish figure that was seen at the end of the first Avengers? Stark’s defense system gone wrong is not him) you can’t bet against a movie that is the sequel to the highest grossing superhero movie ever. At the end of the year, depending on how well a George Lucas-less Star Wars is received, it may very well be the highest grossing film of the year.

The Mockingjay Part 2 The conclusion to this book turned-movie series about a young woman struggling to survive in a cruel post-apocalyptic world to rise like a phoenix to become the face of a freedom fighting rebellion is bound to go out with a bang. Fair warning though, as a fan of the books and movies to this point, I suggest you start at the beginning before hitting the theater to see the epic conclusion to this wonderful, emotional action-packed series.

Fifty Shades of Grey I’ll be honest, I’ve never read Fifty Shades of Grey and never really cared to, but I know it was all the rage when it came out, and touted as an instant classic. Even with a rated R rating which will limit viewership, the name alone should garner a lot of clout.

The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge out of Water Sponge Bob is one of those cartoons that kids love and adults can appreciate on a different level. That rare kind of universally enjoyed cartoon going to the big screen has precedence for success. The Simpsons Movie was nominated for a golden globe and grossed more than 183 million back in 2007. I don’t see why everyone’s favorite sponge can’t soak up that kind of success in 2015.
Runners up were some potential money makers like Jurassic Park World, Furious 7, Ant Man, Fantastic Four, Cinderella and Pan.

As you can see, there’s a lot to look forward to. Throughout the year I’ll be keeping movie goers everywhere apprised of the latest releases and which ones are must see, which ones to avoid and which ones will appeal to certain niches. All in all, it looks like a great year for movies. Grab some popcorn, turn out the lights and enjoy the ride.

By Varon Laub

Source:
iMDB

Image courtesy of Alan Light – Flickr License