The top 5 movies to see this winter season

Trust me on Avatar. Best. Movie. Ever. (photo taken from rottentomatoes.com)

This weekend marks the ending of the Fall movie season with the debut of the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It." It also marks the beginning of the second biggest revenue generating season for movies, which of course is the winter holiday. Today on Feature Film Friday, I will give you a brief look at the 5 most highly anticipated releases to hit the big screen.

1) Avatar opens December 18th

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez

"Avatar" represents James Cameron's first large-scale directorial attempt since "Titanic" in 1997. If you didn't know, "Titanic" is the highest grossing film of all time and took home 11 Oscars. Look for Cameron's latest release to follow suit. The estimated 2 and a half hour film is about a paraplegic soldier stationed on a remote planet who takes part in a medical experiment that transorms his body into a hybrid of human and planet native. On his mission to learn more about the indigenous species, he falls in love with one of the natives and has to choose between human or alien. It is hard to say whether this sci-fi flick is primarily action or romance, but one thing is for certain - its special effects are top notch. Look for "Avatar" to break most box office records and possibly be the highest grossing film of the year. I will wager that it will break "Transformers 2" in terms of box office revenue at roughly $470 million. That is an extremely high estimate, but I have faith. Keep in mind that Cameron has had this film in the works since 1995, and production was only started within the past few years when the technology available was adequate enough to achieve his goals.

2) New Moon (Twilight Part 2) opens November 20th

Director: Chris Weitz

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning

The 2008 emo-vampire craze is back with its sophomore effort, "New Moon." The film boasts improved special effects, a deeper look into the Twilight characters, and the introduction of werewolves! The story revolves around the breakup between Bella and Edward and the movie is primarily carried by the bond between her and Jacob, Bella's close friend. Oh by the way, Jacob is a werewolf. The film itself is the most anticipated movie of the year, already taking number 1 in pre-sale tickets in the U.S. This film will most likely have the legs to take it on an inordinantly large run in theaters. Look for "New Moon" to do roughly $260 million during its box office reign.

3) 2012 opens November 13th

Director: Roland Emmerich

Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson

"2012" is the disaster movie about the so called apocalptyic date mentioned by Nostradamus and the end of the Mayan calendar. Following in the footseps of "Day After Tomorrow," Emmerich's newest flick has been heavily marketed. Given the recent real world events and issues, "2012" looks to have a strong following. Unfortunately, "New Moon" will probably steal its spotlight as it opens the following week. With that in mind, "2012" should stir enough hype to have it do considerably well in theaters. I would give it a conservative box office accopmlishment of roughly $130 million.

4) A Chrismas Carol opens November 6th

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes

The classic holiday tale is brought to life and in 3D by Disney Studios. Initial reactions are stellar about this Zemeckis adaptation of a Dicken's classic. Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy and cold businessman who is the story's main character. Scrooge is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve: the Ghost of Christmas past, present and future (all three ghosts are also played by Carrey.) The film is a performance capture piece, like previous Zemeckis titles "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf." A very competitive November movie month may hurt it's final revenues, but look for "A Christmas Carol" to gross somewhere around $110 million in it's theater run.

5) Sherlock Holmes opens December 25th

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr., Rachel McAdams

The most famous detective of all time gets a funky makeover from acclaimed director Guy Ritchie. Featuring three of the biggest names in film today, "Sherlock Holmes" looks to wrap up the winter season in style. It is really difficult to say how well a film will do on Christmas weekend, but Ritchie's adaptation is funky and interesting enough to warrant a box office estimate of $160 million. If you are into classic stories redone with a new atmosphere, "Sherlock Holmes" is for you.

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