No surprise here: This week’s No. 1 is “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.” The new trailer for “Part 1,” which opens November 18, was released on Tuesday and Twi-hards have been chattering about it online ever since. It seems to deliver just what fans are craving: A picture-perfect wedding, a to-die-for honeymoon, Bella’s super-fast pregnancy, some wolf on wolf action and Edward’s inscrutable facial reaction to seeing his baby for the first time (although we’ll have to wait to see her for ourselves). The hype machine is beginning to churn at full-throttle now.
As for the rest of this week’s list…
September 14, 2011
1. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn” (Last week: Not ranked)
Finally! It’s been months since we’ve seen Jacob take off his shirt!
Finally! It’s been months since we’ve seen Jacob take off his shirt!
2. “Star Trek 2” (Last week: Not ranked)
It’s official, Trekkies (or, um, Trekkers): J.J. Abrams is confirmed as director for the sequel to the 2009 reboot. They’ll likely start shooting this winter.
3. “Dark Shadows” (Last week: Not ranked)
The first photos from the set of Tim Burton’s remake of the gothic vampire show display star Johnny Depp in his ghoulish makeup as the Joker, er…Barnabas Collins.
4. “Django Unchained” (Last week: Not ranked)
Quentin Tarantino’s neo-spaghetti western is adding two amazing cast members: Samuel L. Jackson (no surprise!) and “Major Dad” himself, Gerald McRaney (surprise!). They join Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kevin Costner.
5. “The Hunger Games” (Last week: Not ranked)
Things have been quiet in Panem this week, but with principal photography wrapping, we should be seeing some new images or even a trailer soon.
6. “The Dark Knight Rises” (Last week: No. 1)
Spy footage continues to be posted on fan sites, but there hasn’t been anything official for some time. C’mon, WB — we wanna know what Michael Caine’s costume looks like!
7. “Indiana Jones 5” (Last week: Not ranked)
Many were indifferent (to put it nicely) toward the fourth film, but at a recent L.A. screening of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford both expressed mild interest in doing another one. Are you interested? Or are they digging in the wrong place?
8. “Man of Steel” (Last week: No. 10)
Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot shoot has relocated to Chicago, and hopefully some pics will soon follow. For now, one for the hardcore fans only: The latest on-set photo making the rounds is of… a cop car?
9. “The Descendants” (Last week: No. 9)
Scoring almost universal positive reviews and having a triumphant screening at Toronto, Alexander Payne’s latest is building more than just Oscar buzz for star George Clooney.
10. “The Expendables 2” (Last week: No. 6)
Chuck Norris, Van Damme, and now Nicolas Cage might be joining? Is this a comedy? Well, more of a comedy?
11. The “Highlander” remake (Last week: Not ranked)
You knew it was coming, and now there’s a pretty cool director attached: “28 Weeks Later” helmer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Looks like ther CAN be more than one. Way more, apparently.
12. Ryan Gosling (Last week: Not ranked)
With the critically acclaimed “Drive” opening this weekend and “Ides of March” opening soon (not to mention the inevitable upcoming DVD release of “Crazy Stupid Love”), this is Gosling’s season.
13. The Golden Globes (Last week: Not ranked)
Sure, most people don’t take them seriously, but the show draws stars. In the midst of a convoluted legal dispute, the awards show will air as planned in January. But as far as 2013 and beyond, we’ll see.
14. “Captain America: The First Avenger” (Last week: Not ranked)
Despite initial concerns that the title would turn away viewers in foreign territories (a few countries have retitled it simply as “The First Avenger”), Cap has actually scored more dough overseas than domestically. USA! USA!
15. “You’re Next” (Last week: Not ranked)
Toronto’s Midnight section included this horror cheapie that could be the next “Scream.”
Movie Power Rankings appears weekly on HitFix. See last week’s rankings here. What do you think of this week’s rankings? Share your thoughts below.