Most Anticipated Movies Of 2015: Fandango Releases Top List Of Films For New Year

Star Wars The Force Awakens — "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" tops Fandango's list as the most anticipated movie of 2015. Star Wars / Disney

As we say goodbye to 2014, popular movie ticket service Fandango is looking ahead to the new year and the bevy of box-office titans expected to hit it big. Each year the site gives a rundown of the most anticipated movies of the coming year, and for 2015 it looks like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will be the talk of the town.

The J.J. Abrams-directed film, slated for a Dec. 18 release, topped Fandango’s list as the most anticipated movie of the year, as voted by fans. According to CBS News, the list is based on the results of thousands of users voting in the last week of December for the film they're looking forward to most. "Star Wars" just edged out fellow Disney title, “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” which is scheduled for a May 1 release. In third is the final installment in “The Hunger Games” franchise, “Mockingjay, Part 2," which will hit theaters on Nov. 20. According to Reuters, “Mockingjay, Part 1” has made $306.7 million five weeks into its run in U.S. theaters, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year.

“Fifty Shades of Grey,” which comes out on Feb. 13, takes fourth place as the only movie in the top five that isn’t a sequel or follow-up. The film is based on E.L. James' massively popular erotica trilogy, which was created as "Twilight" fan-fiction. Earlier this year, sales of the book topped 100 million copies worldwide. Meanwhile, “Jurassic World” is the fifth most highly anticipated movie of the coming year. Starring "Guardians of the Galaxy's" Chris Pratt, the film will take place more than two decades after the first "Jurassic Park." It's a sort of reboot/fourth movie hybrid that's sure to get fans of the first film to fill theaters when it's released on June 12.

Big films missing from Fandango’s lineup include “Furious 7” (April 3), which will bid a fond farewell to character Brian O’Connor, played by the late Paul Walker. The new James Bond film, “Spectre,” (Nov. 6) didn’t quite drum up enough excitement to make the fan-created list either. It will mark Daniel Craig's fourth outing as the British spy with a license to kill.

However, as Entertainment Weekly notes, while Fandango’s rankings are a respected list, it is not necessarily predictive of box-office success. For example, in 2014, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1” was the No. 1 movie cited by Fandango while “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which ended up being the most popular, didn’t make the cut at all. EW also notes that “Divergent” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” made the top five but didn’t end up breaking through the top eight domestic ticket sales.

The remainder of Fandango’s most anticipated survey results are listed below (via The Hollywood Reporter). In addition to the most anticipated film, the site surveyed fans' favorite actors and actresses as well as the most anticipated family movie, with Dreamworks' "Minions" topping the bill.

Most Anticipated 2015 Movie:

1. "Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens"
2. "Avengers: Age of Ultron"
3. "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2"
4. "Fifty Shades of Grey"
5. "Jurassic World"

Fan Favorite Actress In 2015 Movies:

1. Jennifer Lawrence ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2," "Joy")
2. Scarlett Johansson ("Avengers: Age of Ultron")
3. Angelina Jolie ("By the Sea")
4. Melissa McCarthy ("Spy")
5. Halle Berry ("Kidnap")

Fan Favorite Actor In 2015 Movies:

1. Robert Downey Jr. ("Avengers: Age of Ultron")
2. Chris Hemsworth ("Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Black Hat," "In the Heart of the Sea")
3. Daniel Craig ("Spectre")
4. Chris Pratt ("Jurassic World")
5. Tom Cruise ("Mission Impossible 5")

Biggest Male Breakout Movie Star, 2015: