After grossing more than $300 million worldwide, a sequel to the prequel “X-Men: First Class” was inevitable. Now that director Matthew Vaughn has officially signed on for part 2, and the cast all seem keen on returning, we have ourselves a ballgame. It will be especially interesting to re-visit the characters now that Michael Fassbender is in every movie produced, and Jennifer Lawrence is destined for super-stardom after “The Hunger Games” opens in a few months. Simon Kinberg is writing the script while Bryan Singer will again act as a producer. Which mutants do you hope to see in part 2?
As for the rest of this week’s list…
February 1, 2012
1. “X-Men: First Class” sequel (Last week: not ranked)
Class is back in session.
2. “The Avengers” (Last week: No. 11)
Two new items to peruse: New photos and an upcoming Super Bowl spot that should be pretty, well, super. Pass the nachos, Bub.
Finally, a good look at James Bond (Daniel Craig) in the new 007 movie. Now show us Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes…or we shoot Ms. Moneypenny.
4. “Dark Knight Rises” (Last week: No. 1)
5. “GI Joe: Retaliation” (Last week: Not ranked)
The TV spot is so big that they’re setting up some sort of championship football game around it. With ninjas instead of football players.
6. “Les Miserables” (Last week: Not ranked)
Pop star with questionable acting talent (Taylor Swift) is out, West End veteran (Samantha Barks) is in. Vive le France!
7. “The Help” (Last week: Not ranked)
The acting showcase wins big at the SAG Awards. But does anybody watch them?
Get ready for a tummy ache: Adam Sandler is starring in a big screen version of a board game meant for 3-year-olds who can’t read yet. But who will Kevin James and Rob Schneider play?
More pics surface, including one of the eternally hot Charlize Theron.
Once you unfreeze a guy, it’s tough to stop him. Part 2 is already on the fast-track with Chris Evans.
12. “The Hunger Games” (Last week: No. 4)
You can’t escape the next pop culture phenomenon.
13. “The Hobbit” (Last week: Not ranked)
Look at all those hungry dwarves.
See director Ben Affleck (“The Town”) take on terrorism and the media in the upcoming thriller starring Affleck and “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston.
15. Dredd (Last week: Not ranked)
Take a look at the new Brit hero here (sorry, Stallone fans).
Movie Power Rankings appears weekly on HitFix. See the previous installment’s rankings here.
What do you think of this week’s rankings? Share your thoughts below.