THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: Sony had huge success with its first "Spider-Man" franchise, starring Tobey Maguire. Now the studio wants to replicate it and is banking on a kick-start from Andrew Garfield as the new Spidey.
THE HUNGER GAMES: Lionsgate stock is closely tied to the success of the highly anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins's young adult novel, and the studio would like to turn the movie into a franchise of up to four parts. In fact, it already has announced a sequel to be released in 2013.
MEN IN BLACK 3: It has been 10 years since Sony released "Men in Black 2," and this movie has been plagued by delays -- rarely a good sign. The time-travel yarn also affords Will Smith an opportunity to prove that he can still open a movie.
JOHN CARTER: It's a $250 million movie -- expensive even by Disney standards. Director Andrew Stanton -- best known for his work on animated films -- was a risky choice for such a costly project.
LINCOLN: Except for the jeans, this newly released photo of Daniel Day-Lewis could be of the nation's 16th president. DreamWorks could use a hit, and Steven Spielberg could provide it with this pedigreed biopic.
THE HOBBIT -- AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY: This is the first of a two-part Peter Jackson movie -- and the initial installment cost about $250 million to produce. Any hope of delivering "Lord of the Rings"-type returns for Warner Bros. depends on the first film delivering.
DARK SHADOWS: Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton are an expensive team, and Depp needs to show -- especially after the disastrous "The Rum Diary" -- that he's still a box office draw when he isn't dressed as a pirate. "Lone Ranger," anyone?
Here are six movies that have the studios and the participants crossing their fingers with particular fervor. The stakes are high for the filmmakers and the talent.
Click through to learn why.
- Joshua L. Weinstein
