2012
by cliffj | created - 30 Jan 2012 | updated - 30 Dec 2012 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. We Bought a Zoo (2011)
PG | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning
Votes: 151,733 | Gross: $75.62M
2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
Detective Sherlock Holmes is on the trail of criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, who is carrying out a string of random crimes across Europe.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams
Votes: 480,421 | Gross: $186.85M
3. Contraband (2012)
R | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
To protect his brother-in-law from a drug lord, a former smuggler heads to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills.
Director: Baltasar Kormákur | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale, Robert Wahlberg
Votes: 126,327 | Gross: $66.53M
4. Haywire (2011)
R | 93 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Angarano
Votes: 89,770 | Gross: $18.94M
5. One for the Money (2012)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past.
Director: Julie Anne Robinson | Stars: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo
Votes: 44,119 | Gross: $26.41M
6. Man on a Ledge (2012)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.
Director: Asger Leth | Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Mandy Gonzalez
Votes: 158,537 | Gross: $18.62M
7. Safe House (2012)
R | 115 min | Action, Thriller
A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.
Director: Daniel Espinosa | Stars: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Robert Patrick, Vera Farmiga
Votes: 235,563 | Gross: $126.37M
8. This Means War (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
C.I.A. operatives wage an epic battle on each other when they discover they are dating the same woman.
Director: McG | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Til Schweiger
Votes: 194,228 | Gross: $54.76M
9. Gone (I) (2012)
PG-13 | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery
A woman is convinced her kidnapper has returned when her sister goes missing.
Director: Heitor Dhalia | Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Wes Bentley, Daniel Sunjata
Votes: 46,388 | Gross: $11.65M
10. Wanderlust (2012)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Romance
Rattled by sudden unemployment, a Manhattan couple surveys alternative living options, ultimately deciding to experiment with living on a rural commune where free love rules.
Director: David Wain | Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Malin Akerman, Justin Theroux
Votes: 80,487 | Gross: $17.23M
11. A Thousand Words (I) (2012)
PG-13 | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
After stretching the truth on a deal with a spiritual guru, literary agent Jack McCall finds a Bodhi tree on his property. Its appearance holds a valuable lesson on the consequences of every word he speaks.
Director: Brian Robbins | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Kerry Washington, Clark Duke
Votes: 44,698 | Gross: $18.44M
12. Act of Valor (2012)
R | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
An elite team of Navy SEALs embark on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent.
Directors: Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh | Stars: Alex Veadov, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano, Rorke Denver
Votes: 71,794 | Gross: $70.01M
13. The Hunger Games (2012)
PG-13 | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 1,003,626 | Gross: $408.01M
14. American Reunion (2012)
R | 113 min | Comedy
Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion.
Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg | Stars: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Chris Klein
Votes: 223,820 | Gross: $57.01M
15. Think Like a Man (2012)
PG-13 | 122 min | Comedy, Romance
Four friends conspire to turn the tables on their women when they discover the ladies have been using Steve Harvey's relationship advice against them.
Director: Tim Story | Stars: Chris Brown, Gabrielle Union, Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy
Votes: 50,328 | Gross: $91.55M
16. Safe (I) (2012)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Mei, a young girl whose memory holds a priceless numerical code, finds herself pursued by the Triads, the Russian mob, and corrupt NYC cops. Coming to her aid is an ex-cage fighter whose life was destroyed by the gangsters on Mei's trail.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Chris Sarandon, Robert John Burke
Votes: 117,586 | Gross: $17.14M
17. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,280 | Gross: $623.28M
18. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 99,469 | Gross: $46.41M
19. Men in Black³ (2012)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Agent J travels in time to M.I.B.'s early days in 1969 to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement
Votes: 386,997 | Gross: $179.02M
20. What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012)
PG-13 | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows the lives of five interconnected couples as they experience the thrills and surprises of having a baby and realize that no matter what you plan for, life does not always deliver what is expected.
Director: Kirk Jones | Stars: Cameron Diaz, Matthew Morrison, J. Todd Smith, Dennis Quaid
Votes: 75,683 | Gross: $41.15M
21. Rock of Ages (2012)
PG-13 | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
A small-town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams.
Director: Adam Shankman | Stars: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin
Votes: 81,665 | Gross: $38.52M
22. Magic Mike (2012)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A male stripper teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn, Matthew McConaughey
Votes: 147,194 | Gross: $113.72M
23. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to save the city from the machinations of a mysterious reptilian foe.
Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan
Votes: 702,250 | Gross: $262.03M
24. To Rome with Love (2012)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
The lives of some visitors and residents of Rome and the romances, adventures and predicaments they get into.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Penélope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Elliot Page
Votes: 90,887 | Gross: $16.69M
25. Savages (I) (2012)
R | 131 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Pot growers Ben and Chon face off against the Mexican drug cartel who kidnapped their shared girlfriend.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Benicio Del Toro
Votes: 134,522 | Gross: $47.38M
26. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,827,128 | Gross: $448.14M
27. The Watch (I) (2012)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi
Four men who form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.
Director: Akiva Schaffer | Stars: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Billy Crudup
Votes: 133,034 | Gross: $35.35M
28. Total Recall (I) (2012)
PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.
Director: Len Wiseman | Stars: Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale
Votes: 266,349 | Gross: $58.88M
29. The Bourne Legacy (2012)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.
Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Scott Glenn
Votes: 315,566 | Gross: $113.20M
30. The Expendables 2 (2012)
R | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
Mr. Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat.
Director: Simon West | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Liam Hemsworth, Randy Couture, Jean-Claude Van Damme
Votes: 322,296 | Gross: $85.02M
31. Hit and Run (I) (2012)
R | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Former getaway driver Charles Bronson jeopardizes his Witness Protection Plan identity in order to help his girlfriend get to Los Angeles. The feds and Charles' former gang chase them on the road.
Directors: David Palmer, Dax Shepard | Stars: Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Kristin Chenoweth
Votes: 37,512 | Gross: $13.75M
32. Hope Springs (2012)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.
Director: David Frankel | Stars: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell, Jean Smart
Votes: 44,303 | Gross: $63.54M
33. The Words (2012)
PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man's work.
Directors: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana
Votes: 81,438 | Gross: $11.49M
34. The Cold Light of Day (2012)
PG-13 | 93 min | Action, Thriller
After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri | Stars: Henry Cavill, Bruce Willis, Sigourney Weaver, Verónica Echegui
Votes: 39,370 | Gross: $3.75M
35. Trouble with the Curve (2012)
PG-13 | 111 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
A daughter tries to remedy her dysfunctional relationship with her ailing father, a decorated baseball scout, by helping him in a recruiting trip which could be his last.
Director: Robert Lorenz | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake
Votes: 68,529 | Gross: $35.76M
36. End of Watch (2012)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick, America Ferrera
Votes: 269,066 | Gross: $41.00M
37. Taken 2 (2012)
PG-13 | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
In Istanbul, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills and his wife are taken hostage by the father of a kidnapper Mills killed while rescuing his daughter.
Director: Olivier Megaton | Stars: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser
Votes: 322,636 | Gross: $139.85M
38. Argo (2012)
R | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
Acting under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin
Votes: 639,093 | Gross: $136.03M
39. Here Comes the Boom (2012)
PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Sport
A high-school biology teacher looks to become a successful mixed martial arts fighter in an effort to raise money to prevent extracurricular activities from being axed at his cash-strapped school.
Director: Frank Coraci | Stars: Kevin James, Salma Hayek, Henry Winkler, Greg Germann
Votes: 95,474 | Gross: $45.29M
40. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
Director: Stephen Chbosky | Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Votes: 547,958 | Gross: $17.74M
41. Flight (I) (2012)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Troubling questions arise after airline pilot Whip Whitaker makes a miracle landing after a mid-air catastrophe.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle, John Goodman
Votes: 376,162 | Gross: $93.77M
42. Skyfall (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench
Votes: 731,068 | Gross: $304.36M
43. Killing Them Softly (2012)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.
Director: Andrew Dominik | Stars: Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins, Scoot McNairy
Votes: 153,136 | Gross: $15.03M
44. Red Dawn (2012)
PG-13 | 93 min | Action, Drama, War
A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers.
Director: Dan Bradley | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Josh Hutcherson, Josh Peck
Votes: 80,559 | Gross: $44.81M
45. This Is 40 (2012)
R | 134 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Pete and Debbie are both about to turn 40, their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they're on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.
Director: Judd Apatow | Stars: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow
Votes: 150,432 | Gross: $67.54M
46. Jack Reacher (2012)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog
Votes: 365,018 | Gross: $80.07M
47. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
Votes: 742,691 | Gross: $132.09M
48. Parental Guidance (2012)
PG | 105 min | Comedy, Family
Artie and Diane Decker agree to look after their three grandchildren when their type-A helicopter parents need to go out of town for work. Problems arise when their 21st-century behavior collides with Artie and Diane's old-school methods.
Director: Andy Fickman | Stars: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott
Votes: 26,785 | Gross: $77.27M
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