Top Five Money Makers of 08

These are the films that may possibly earn in the top five in no particular order. Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, this movie franchise has a strong following, and the franchise is still making money, proving people have not forgotten about Jones' hat and leather jacket. Harrison Ford still looks like the Indiana Jones people are familiar with. The man is in great shape, plus what would the franchise be without Ford. Spielberg is directing, and Lucas is writing, awesome. Shia Labeouf(Transformers), and Cate Blanchett(Elizabeth) are also starring in the film. Just recently I watched Raiders of The Lost Ark, and I noticed how ancient the special effects were, with current special effects this film should be more visually appealing than the previous ones. On account of the strong following, and good performance history this movie has, it could generate between $250-$300 million domestically. May 22, 2008 is the release date of the film.

The Dark Knight, which is the sequel to Batman Beginnings, has created a lot buzz, and is one of the top searched trailers on the Internet. Actor Christian Bale, and director Christopher Nolan return, and hardcore fans are pleased. I was not sure of Heath Ledger as the joker at first, but after I saw the latest trailer, I constantly greeted people by saying "evening commissioner". Ledger is awesome as the joker! The rejuvenation of the franchise as created a following because this batman seems realistic while maintaining its comic book allure. Batman Beginnings earned about $205 million, but Dark Knight, has a well known villain in The Joker, and that alone may attract more people to see the film. Additional Batman gadgets such as the new motorcycle all contribute to the buzz surrounding this movie. I think people really want to see this film, and it may earn $200-$220 million domestically. July 18, 2008 is the release date of the film. "Its all part of the plan,'' The Joker.

Iron Man, Finally someone thought to make this movie. The suite looks very much like the iron man suite from the comic books. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, nice, a bad boy, playing a bad boy, good casting. This film unlike the ones above is not a sequel, so there is no previous box office figure to provide a very rough estimate of how much the movie will earn. Iron Man and Hulk, however, were both financed for a total of $525 million according to a MotleyFool article. For Marvel to break even, both films have to earn over $1 billion combined. Iron Man may not be as popular has Batman, but based on the trailers, it's still difficult not to feel excited about this movie. With the promotion for this film being very strong, an educated guess of $150- $200 million domestically is fair. May 2, 2008 is the release date of the film.

The Hulk, the first film had mixed reviews. The People who I spoke to, said the film was "OK" some said " it sucked", some said "it was good". Others said the hulk looked "too computer like." Some said it "lagged too much." However one felt about the movie, there may still be hope for the sequel, because the first film grossed, $132,177,234 domestically, and $245,360,480 worldwide. However, the budget for the first film was $137 million, according to boxofficemojo.com. The real excitement is Ed Norton, yes sir! This super actor will do just fine as Bruce Banner. The Hulk is one of most well known super heroes, and because the Hulk is such a fixture of popular culture, people will most likely see the sequel, although the first film had mixed reviews, and educated guess of $120- $190, million is a fair estimate. June 13, 2008 is the release date of the film.

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince, the Harry Potter Franchise has earned well. The previous film, Harry Potter and The order of The Phoenix, earned $292,004,738 domestically, and $938,465,035 world wide. With a consistent earnings history, well beyond S240 million, this film will easily earn $ 250-300 million. November 21, 2008 is the release date of the film. These are my top five for 2008. Time will tell if I am right or not, but here are four honorable mentions: Sex and The City, James Bond, Hell Boy 2, and Chronicles Of Narnia:Prince Caspian. Some trailers are not available yet, and release dates are subject to change, stay tuned to movieporium.blogspot.com.