There are no two bigger months at theaters. While the Summer may provide box office swing, both box office and Oscars dominate the final two months of the year with November likely the biggest of them all. This year, a number of top notch films will compete for audience dollars and critics’ appreciation going into the final weeks of pre-Oscar wrangling. This November features one of the most impressive line-ups Oscar has seen in some time, with many of them strong contenders for one or multiple nominations.

Jan. 4-6, 2012

Texas Chainsaw 3D

Premise: From IMDb: “A young woman travels to Texas to collect an inheritance; little does she know that an encounter with a chainsaw-wielding killer is part of the reward.”
Box Office Prospects: $45 M
Expectations: Another attempt to reboot this franchise. Adding 3D isn’t going to sell the film, but standard operating procedures with horror films will likely bring it into a suitable, if not spectacular box office total.
Oscar Prospects: None.

Jan. 11-13, 2012

Gangster Squad

Premise: From IMDb: “A chronicle of the LAPD’s fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.”
Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Expectations: It has the stars to be a hit, but after it was pushed back to January to “re-shoot” a scene where gunmen opened fire inside a crowded theater, the question is: editing the scene wouldn’t have taken long, so is this delay because early word of mouth wasn’t positive? It could still be a decent hit with very little competition about, but it might be an unmitigated flop.
Oscar Prospects: That January delay in itself suggests the film, once thought to be a major Oscar contender, wasn’t even remotely good enough to compete. Still, the film could be remembered at the end of the year for its Production Design and Costume Design, but 11 months is a very long time to be remembered.

A Haunted House

Premise: From IMDb: “Malcolm and Kisha move into their dream home, but soon learn a demon also resides there. When Kisha becomes possessed, Malcolm – determined to keep his sex life on track – turns to a priest, a psychic, and a team of ghost-busters for help.”
Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Expectations: In spite of being generally bad movies, the ” movie” franchise has been modestly successful. While this one isn’t within that lineup, it is similar enough that it could do brisk, but underwhelming business.
Oscar Prospects: None.

Jan. 18-20, 2012

Broken City

Premise: From IMDb: “An ex-cop trailing the wife of New York City’s mayor finds himself immersed in a larger scandal.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: It has the right stars to be a decent hit, but the premise doesn’t seem terribly original. Releasing in January, especially after the more likely successful Gangster Squad may result in a weaker take for the modern-set film.
Oscar Prospects: None.

The Last Stand

Premise: From IMDb: “The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff.”
Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Expectations: Arnold Schwarzeneggar has playing politics, leaving his “acting” career behind. Now that he has his first solo role, we’ll see how successful he can be on his own outside of The Expendables franchise.
Oscar Prospects: None.

Mama

Premise: From IMDb: “Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years…. but how alone were they?”
Box Office Prospects: $65 M
Expectations: Demonic possession films are still a hot property even if they are as stale as a six-month-old piece of bread, so expect this one to do decently well with horror audiences.
Oscar Prospects: None.

Jan. 25-27, 2012

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Premise: From IMDb: “In this dark spin on the fairy tale, siblings Hansel and Gretel are a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world.”
Box Office Prospects: 20 M
Expectations: This gimmicky kick-ass fairy-tale motif doesn’t have a lot of potential. It reminds me of genre-blending films like Jonah Hex and Priest, that alone should mean a weaker than desired performance
Oscar Prospects: None.

Movie 43

Premise: From IMDb: “An ensemble comedy intertwining different tales.”
Box Office Prospects: $55 M
Expectations: It doesn’t look very good, but with the overload of major stars, it could be a nice box office performer, but unlikely anything truly sensational. Think New Year’s Eve, not Valentine’s Day.
Oscar Prospects: None.

Parker

Premise: From IMDb: “A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew’s latest heist.”
Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Expectations: Obviously, they are hoping tha bringing Jennifer Lopez on will help make Jason Statham bankable. True, his solo efforts have been less than thrilling, but Lopez commands a decent number of fans. Still, I don’t see this as being a breakout hit of any measure.
Oscar Prospects: None.

John Dies at the End (Limited)

Premise: From IMDb: “A new street drug that sends its users across time and dimensions has one drawback: some people return as no longer human. Can two college dropouts save humankind from this silent, otherworldly invasion??”
Box Office Prospects: $5 M
Expectations: Bubba Ho-Tep did abysmally at the box office, but a cult following has turned schlock meister director Don Coscarelli into a modestly known name in such circles. The premise of John Dies at the End is unusual enough that paired with the trailer’s reference to Bubba, this film could do better than that film did. However, the box office isn’t always kind to cult-classics-in-the-making, so it would take strong word of mouth to get this one up very high at all.
Oscar Prospects: None.