It’s been a few years since fans first caught wind that Marvel was planning to bring all of their on-screen heroes together in “The Avengers.” The day is finally almost upon us, and the marketing machine is heading into overdrive. While the busy new poster was met mostly with muted enthusiasm, Marvel junkies will likely be more satisfied by the new trailer, which features action-packed new footage of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the rest of the gang. Marvel’s multi-movie path to the film has been an ambitious, long-term strategy attempting to capture — and maintain — the often fickle interest of both casual fans and hardcore comic geeks (not to mention keeping a half-dozen stars and future-stars happy over a number of years). As more footage is revealed and more fan reaction is heard, “The Avengers” is looking more and more like a solid success story.
As for the rest of this week’s list…
March 1, 2012
1. “The Avengers” (Last week: No. 3)
New poster. New trailer. New favorite superhero movie?
2. “Hunger Games” (Last week: No. 4)
A few early screenings won’t do much to satiate the hungry masses. We must have more!
3. “Skyfall” (Last week: No. 1)
For the first time, James Bond is going IMAX. You never forget your first time with 007.
4. “The Dark Knight Rises” (Last week: Not ranked)
The film isn’t even close to its July release date, but some folks are already talking about Oscars for Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film.
5. “The Lone Ranger” (Last week: Not ranked)
Naysayers thought it would never happen, but the Johnny Deep-Armie Hammer western update is ready to shoot.
6. “Prometheus” (Last week: Not ranked)
Guy Pearce re-introduces us to Ridley Scott’s “Alien” universe with this informative ad.
7. “Star Trek 2” (Last week: Not ranked)
Photos of Benedict Cumberbatch and Zachary Quinto tussling as “villain” and Spock have been beamed across the Internet.
8. “The Artist” (Last week: Not ranked)
Sunday belonged to one movie and one movie only. Now comes the box office bonus.
9. “John Carter” (Last week: No. 7)
The final trailer tries its best to turn the tide and get audiences interested in Disney’s expensive epic. Does it succeed?
10. “Noah” (Last week: Not ranked)
“Black Swan” director Darren Aronofsky wants to set sail with the busy Russell Crowe on the biblical epic.
11. The “Indiana Jones” series (Last week: Not ranked)
Part 5 may not arrive for a while, but the first four films will hit Blu-ray later this year. You can just throw out “Crystal Skull” to make the series a trilogy again.
12. “Lone Survivor” (Last week: Not ranked)
Taylor Kitsch is re-teaming with his “Battleship” helmer Peter Berg and the great Mark Wahlberg for this action film.
13. “Oldboy” (Last week: Not ranked)
No, it’s not the best idea for a remake. But yes, Elizabeth Olsen could be awesome opposite Josh Brolin.
14. “Neighborhood Watch” (Last week: Not ranked)
Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill are funny together even when they’re just driving around in the new teaser. Hear their faces.
15. “Ghostbusters 3” (Last week: Not ranked)
Bill Murray is officially not going to put on the proton pack again, according to Dan Aykroyd. Good luck with that, Ray.
Movie Power Rankings appears weekly on HitFix. See the previous installment’s rankings here.
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