12. 'Fifty Shades of Grey' (Universal/Focus Features)
Release date:
Feb. 13, 2015
Why it will be huge: This will be the movie every guy will be dragged to see.
The best-selling book series dubbed "mommy porn" is making its big screen debut Valentine's Day weekend. There couldn't be a better release date for the erotica film about a naive college girl (Dakota Johnson) who becomes involved in a BDSM relationship with a billionaire named Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).
While the film's trailer was the most-viewed all year, there are two reasons "Fifty Shades" is lower on our list. 1. Big blockbusters rarely come out in this month. "Passion of the Christ" currently holds the record for largest Feb. gross ($611.9 million). 2. Erotica movies are usually a niche group. 1992's "Basic Instinct" is the highest-grossing film in the genre making $352.9 million worldwide.
11. 'Ted 2' (Universal)
Release date:
June 26, 2015
Why it will be huge: "Ted," featuring Seth MacFarlane's foul-mouthed teddy bear and Mark Wahlberg, became the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy ever in 2012. It surpassed the record previously held by the first "Hangover." "Ted" made $549 million worldwide.
10. 'Inside Out' (Pixar/Disney)
Release date:
June 19, 2015
Why it will be huge: Pixar's reputation speaks for itself. The studio hasn't made a bad film yet (except perhaps the poorly-reviewed "Cars 2"). Regardless, none of them have been bombs and the majority of Pixar's animated movies make at least $500 million worldwide at theaters.
Buzz about its next animated picture, "Inside Out," is already growing. While the movie's concept about the inner workings of the brain and our emotions may sound a bit confusing, an early sneak peek of the film was very well received at the Animation Film Festival in France back in June.
9. 'Terminator: Genisys' (Paramount)
Release date:
July 1, 2015
Why it will be huge: The fourth "Terminator" film starring Christian Bale was supposed to kick off a new franchise in 2009. Paramount hopes to do it again next year with "Game of Thrones" actress Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"), and Matt Smith ("Doctor Who").
Although Schwarzenegger's last few original films have bombed at theaters ("Sabotage," "The Last Stand"), his ensemble films, particularly "The Expendables" franchise, perform well. His return to the "Terminator" franchise and the storyline of the original 1984 James Cameron film should help unite original fans with a new, younger generation.
The highest-grossing "Terminator" movie was 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" making $519 million worldwide.
8. 'Mission Impossible 5' (Paramount)
Release date:
Dec. 25, 2015
Why it will be huge: The last "Mission Impossible" film became both the highest-grossing in the franchise and Tom Cruise's highest-grossing movie ever making $694 million worldwide. Details on the fifth film are scarce right now, but it will reunite Cruise and Jeremy Renner again.
"MI5" also has the advantage of debuting after "The Avengers" sequel in which Renner will star.
7. 'Jurassic World' (Universal)
Release date:
June 12, 2015
Why it will be huge: One name. Chris Pratt.
The "Parks and Recreation" star is becoming a huge name in Hollywood. He appeared in two of 2014's biggest movies: "The LEGO Movie" and surprise hit "Guardians of the Galaxy." The former grossed $468 million while "GotG" grossed over $772 million worldwide.
Universal hopes to successfully reboot the beloved-dinosaur franchise. The first film has grossed over $1 billion. Pratt's popularity will definitely help carry the fourth film.
6. 'Minions' (Universal)
Release date:
July 10, 2015
Why it will be huge: If we had to pick one surefire animated movie for next year, it's going to be Universal's "Despicable Me" spin-off movie that focuses on the adorable silly yellow minions.
Yes, Pixar has a new movie coming out that looks awesome, but it's not part of an existing franchise. Universal's "Despicable Me 2" made nearly $1 billion at theaters, and you just can't argue with those numbers.
5. 'Spectre' (Sony)
Release date:
Nov. 6, 2015
Why it will be huge: The last Bond film, "Skyfall," grossed $1.1 billion, so expectations for "Spectre" are definitely high.
Despite a stellar cast — Christoph Waltz and Andrew Scott ("Sherlock") are joining — we've lowered this one on the list in light of the ongoing Sony leaks. According to emails uncovered by Gawker, Sony execs were not happy with the film's ending and called for rewrites right before the movie started filming in Dec. The movie is also reportedly way over budget, costing upwards of $300 million.
Previous installments featuring Daniel Craig as 007 have grossed under $600 million worldwide.
4. 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2' (Lionsgate)
Release date:
Nov. 20, 2015
Why it will be huge: Sure, "Mockingjay: Part 1" wasn't as big as everyone thought it would be. While the movie has the largest opening weekend of the year, it fell short of estimates believing it would hit the $150 million mark. (Then again, the movie was basically a giant trailer for the final film of the series.)
It’s worth noting that the first movie in a two-series ending has never performed as well theatrically as the final installment. Just look at the two final “Twilight” and “Harry Potter” movies.
Our final adventure with the girl on fire should be another big win for Lionsgate. The biggest "Hunger Games" movie, "Catching Fire," has made over $864 million worldwide.
3. 'Furious 7' (Universal)
Release Date:
April 3, 2015
Why it will be huge: The seventh installment was pushed back from July 2014 after star Paul Walker was killed in a car accident Nov. 2013.
Fans will undoubtedly want to bid farewell to Walker. This will be his last onscreen appearance.
Since Walker's death, the entire "Fast and Furious" cast, including Tyrese and Ludacris, has really pulled together with an emphasis on sharing set videos and pictures from the previous and future film on social media. Vin Diesel has gained an enormous fan following on Facebook where he continues to share news of "Furious 7."
The last film debuted to a huge $117 million over Memorial Day Weekend and made over $788 million worldwide.
2. 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron' (Disney)
Release Date:
May 1, 2015
Why it will be huge: The reteaming of Marvel's superhero group is easily one of 2015's most-anticipated movies. Fans have patiently waited three years for a sequel to "The Avengers."
The first film not only became one of the highest-grossing movies ever, making over $1.5 billion worldwide, but also holds the record for largest opening weekend with $207.4 million.
Since its release, every subsequent Marvel movie — "Thor: The Dark World," "Iron Man 3," and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" — has seen a big bump in its box-office returns.
1. 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (Disney)
Release Date:
Dec. 18, 2015
Why it will be huge: The 88-second trailer teaser for the seventh film that debuted over the Thanksgiving holiday is quickly becoming one of the most highly watched trailers with 81 million views on YouTube.
Disney CEO Bob Iger recently made a comment at a Variety event reiterating how huge the seventh "Star Wars" movie is for the company.
"I keep telling [director] J.J. Abrams this is a $4 billion movie," said Iger. "We need to treat this very special. It’s an unbelievable privilege and unbelievable responsibility to take a jewel and treat it in a way that is respectful of its past but brings it into the future."
Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion and is planning to incorporate the new franchise into its theme parks in the future.
