Most Popular Movies 2012

This chart shows the 2012 movie releases that have attracted the most interest on The Numbers web site over the past 24 hours. A share of 100 corresponds to 1 percent of the total views for all 2012 releases.

See also: Domestic Release Schedule for 2012 - Top 2012 Worldwide

← 2011 Most Popular Overall 2013 →
  1
The Bourne Legacy poster
Domestic BO:
$113,203,870
International BO:
$167,152,050

Synopsis

The Bourne Legacy pulls back the curtain to expose a darker layer of intrigue, a deeper mythology, and a new hero who must battle to stay alive when his program suddenly becomes a liability. The Bourne Legacy is exactly that - the legacy - the aftermath - of what's come before. Bournes public exposure at the end of The Bourne Ultimatum sparks a bonfire that threatens to burn down decades of research and development into the building of better spies and warriors. Audiences will discover that there are actually a variety of intelligence programs, that the CIA's Treadstone was but one of the early developments and that Bourne's actions are creating a tremendous anxiety that other programs may be exposed.

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  2
John Carter poster

Synopsis

"John Carter" - is an action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom. "John Carter" is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter, who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris. In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands. 

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  3
Skyfall poster
Skyfall
Director: Sam Mendes
Lead Roles: Daniel Craig as James Bond, Javier Bardem as Silva
Initial Theatrical Release: October 26, 2012 (Wide) (Brazil)
Keywords: IMAX: DMR, Secret Agent, Surprise Twist, Faked Death, Development Hell, Delayed Sequel, Prologue, Intertitle, Action Thriller
Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$304,360,277
International BO:
$806,166,704

Synopsis

Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost

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  4
Cloud Atlas poster
Cloud Atlas
Director: Lana Wachowski, Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski
Lead Roles: Tom Hanks as Dr. Henry Goose/Hotel Manager/Isaac Sachs/Dermot Hoggins/Cavendish Look-A-Like Actor/Zachry, Halle Berry as Native Woman/Jocasta Ayrs/Luisa Rey/Indian Party Guest/Ovid/Meronym, Jim Broadbent as Captian Molyneux/Vyvyan Ayrs/Timothy Cavendish/Korean Musician/Prescient 2, Hugo Weaving as Haskell Moore/Tadeusz Kesselring/Bill Smoke/Nurse Noakes/Boardman Mephi/Old George, Jim Sturgess as Adam Ewing/Poor Hotel Guest/Megan's Dad/Highlander/Hae-Joo Chang/Adam/Zachry Brother-In-Law, Doona Bae as Tilda/Megan's Mom/Mexican Woman/Sommi-451/Sommi-351/Sommi Prostitute, Ben Whishaw as Cabin Boy/Robert Frobisher/Store Clerk/Georgette/Tribesman, Keith David as Kupaka/Joe Napier/An-Kor Apis/Prescient, James D'Arcy as Young Rufus Sixsmith/Old Rufus Sixsmith/Nurse James/Archivist, Zhou Xun as Talbot/Hotel Manager/Yoona-939/Rose, David Gyasi as Autua/Lester Rey/Duophysite, Susan Sarandon as Madame Horrox/Older Ursula/Yusouf Suleiman/Abbess, Hugh Grant as Rev. Giles Horrox/Hotel Heavy/Lloyd Hooks/Denholme Cavendish/Seer Rhee/Kona Chief
Initial Theatrical Release: October 26, 2012 (Wide) by Warner Bros.
Keywords: IMAX: DMR, Cloning, Dystopia, Same Actor, Multiple Roles, Ensemble, Post Apocalypse, Segments, Cross-Dressing, Genderbending Casting, Whitewashed Casting, Invented Language, LGBTQ+, Conspiracy Theory, Investigative Journalist, Genre Mashup
Classification: Based on Fiction Book/Short Story, Drama, Live Action, Multiple Creative Types
Domestic BO:
$27,108,272
International BO:
$103,564,882

Synopsis

Drama, mystery, action and enduring love thread through a single story that unfolds in multiple timelines over the span of 500 years. Characters meet and reunite from one life to the next. Born and reborn. As the consequences of their actions and choices impact one another through the past, the present and the distant future, one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution. Everything is connected.

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  5
The Pirates! Band of Misfits poster
Domestic BO:
$31,051,126
International BO:
$105,092,479

Synopsis

In The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Hugh Grant stars in his first animated role as the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain - a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side, and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy and Cutlass Liz to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist, but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

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  6
Frankenweenie poster
Frankenweenie
Director: Tim Burton
Lead Roles: Catherine O'Hara as Mrs. Frankenstein / Weird Girl / Gym Teacher, Martin Short as Mr. Frankenstein / Mr. Burgemeister / Nassor, Martin Landau as Mr. Rzykruski, Charlie Tahan as Victor Frankenstein, Atticus Shaffer as Edgar 'E' Gore, Winona Ryder as Elsa Van Helsing, James Hiroyuki Liao as Toshiaki
Initial Theatrical Release: October 4, 2012 (Wide) (Lebanon)
Keywords: 3-D, IMAX: DMR, Director Remaking Their Own Movie, Animal Lead, Mad Scientist, Inventor, Romance, Development Hell, Inspirational Teacher, Retro Black and White, Prologue, Monster, Vampire, Werewolf, Kaiju, 3-D - Post-production Conversion, Kids Horror
Classification: Based on Short Film, Adventure, Stop-Motion Animation, Fantasy
Domestic BO:
$35,287,788
International BO:
$45,863,000

Synopsis

"Frankenweenie" is a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life - with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor's fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new "leash on life" can be monstrous.

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  7
Movie 43 poster

Synopsis

A host of well-known film stars appear in a series of comedy shorts.

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  8
A Thousand Words poster
Domestic BO:
$18,450,127
International BO:
$2,340,359

Synopsis

Jack McCall is a fast-talking literary agent, who can close any deal, any time, any way. He has set his sights on New Age guru Dr. Sinja for his own selfish purposes. But Dr. Sinja is on to him, and Jack's life comes unglued after a magical Bodhi tree mysteriously appears in his backyard. With every word Jack speaks, a leaf falls from the tree and he realizes that when the last leaf falls, both he and the tree are toast. Words have never failed Jack McCall, but now he's got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he's a goner.

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  9
Django Unchained poster
Domestic BO:
$162,805,434
International BO:
$287,036,132

Synopsis

Django is a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles - dead or alive. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South's most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda, the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago.

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10
Doctor Seuss' The Lorax poster
Domestic BO:
$214,151,550
International BO:
$136,946,253

Synopsis

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is a 3D-CG adaptation of the classic tale of a forest guardian who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for a real Truffula Tree, the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To get it he must find the story of the Lorax, the acerbic yet charming character who fights to protect his world.

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11
The Dictator poster
Domestic BO:
$59,650,222
International BO:
$120,498,675

Synopsis

The heroic story of a North African dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

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12
The Woman in Black poster
Domestic BO:
$54,333,290
International BO:
$74,622,608

Synopsis

Arthur Kipps, a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret. Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost...and no one, not even the children, are safe from her vengeance

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13
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter poster
Domestic BO:
$37,519,139
International BO:
$99,970,591

Synopsis

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter brings to the screen the secret life of our nation's sixteenth president...as history's greatest hunter of the undead.

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14
Battleship poster
Battleship
Director: Peter Berg
Lead Roles: Taylor Kitsch as Lieutenant Alex Hopper, Alexander Skarsgård as Commander Stone Hopper, Rihanna as Petty Officer Cora "Weps" Raikes, Liam Neeson as Admiral Shane
Initial Theatrical Release: April 11, 2012 (Wide) (Belgium)
Keywords: Epilogue, Prologue, Wheelchair User, Alien Invasion, Visual Effects, Scene in End Credits, End of the World, Toy Adaptations, On a Boat, 3-D, IMAX: DMR, Action Adventure
Classification: Based on Game, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$65,233,400
International BO:
$248,244,317

Synopsis

Our planet fights for survival against a superior force in a battle that unfolds across the seas, in the skies, and over land.

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15
The Campaign poster
The Campaign
Director: Jay Roach
Lead Roles: Will Ferrell as Cam Brady, Zach Galifianakis as Marty Huggins
Initial Theatrical Release: August 10, 2012 (Wide) by Warner Bros.
Keywords: Political, Political Campaign, Corporate Malfeasance, Government Corruption, Gratuitous Cameos
Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$86,907,746
International BO:
$18,000,000

Synopsis

When long-term congressman Cam Brady commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins, director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors' support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family's political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about. As Election Day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy.

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16
To Rome With Love poster
To Rome with Love
Director: Woody Allen
Lead Roles: Woody Allen as Jerry, Alec Baldwin as John, Roberto Benigni as Leopoldo, Penélope Cruz as Anna, Judy Davis as Phyllis, Jesse Eisenberg as Jack, Greta Gerwig as Sally, Elliot Page as Monica
Initial Theatrical Release: April 20, 2012 (Wide) (Italy)
Keywords: Non-Chronological, Ensemble, Segments, Breaking the Fourth Wall, Imaginary Character, Directing Yourself, Architecture, Opera, Relationships Gone Wrong
Classification: Original Screenplay, Romantic Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$16,684,352
International BO:
$57,605,953

Synopsis

To Rome With Love is a story about a number of people in Italy, some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors, and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into

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17
21 Jump Street poster
21 Jump Street
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller
Lead Roles: Jonah Hill as Schmidt, Channing Tatum as Jenko
Initial Theatrical Release: March 14, 2012 (Wide) (Trinidad)
Keywords: Undercover, Gratuitous Cameos, Narcotics, Buddy Cop, High School Hell, Prom, Slobs vs. Snobs
Classification: Based on TV, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$138,447,667
International BO:
$64,364,762

Synopsis

In the action-comedy 21 Jump Street, Schmidt and Jenko are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier - and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind

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18
The Dark Knight Rises poster
Domestic BO:
$448,139,099
International BO:
$634,089,008

Synopsis

It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

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19
The Guilt Trip poster
The Guilt Trip
Director: Anne Fletcher
Lead Roles: Barbra Streisand as Joyce Brewster, Seth Rogen as Andrew Brewster
Initial Theatrical Release: December 19, 2012 (Wide) by Paramount Pictures
Keywords: Gratuitous Cameos, Road Trip, Inventor, Widow/Widower, Dysfunctional Family, Voiceover/Narration, Scene in End Credits, Family Comedy
Classification: Original Screenplay, Comedy, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$37,134,215
International BO:
$4,608,102

Synopsis

Andy Brewster is about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime, and who better to accompany him than his overbearing mother Joyce. After deciding to start his adventure with a quick visit at mom's, Andy is guilted into bringing her along for the ride. Across 3,000 miles of ever-changing landscape, he is constantly aggravated by her antics, but over time he comes to realize that their lives have more in common than he originally thought. His mother's advice might end up being exactly what he needs.

Full Information...

20
The Hunger Games poster

Synopsis

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Full Information...

21
The Devil Inside poster
The Devil Inside
Director: William Brent Bell
Lead Roles: Fernanda Andrade as Isabella Rossi, Simon Quarterman as Ben, Evan Helmuth as David, Suzan Crowley as Maria Rossi
Initial Theatrical Release: January 6, 2012 (Wide) by Paramount Pictures
Keywords: Found Footage, Religious, Possessed, Based on an UNTRUE Story, Surprise Twist, Skeptic, Supernatural, Found footage horror
Classification: Original Screenplay, Horror, Live Action, Historical Fiction
Domestic BO:
$53,262,945
International BO:
$48,496,545

Synopsis

In 1989, emergency responders received a 9-1-1 call from Maria Rossi confessing that she had brutally killed three people. 20 years later, her daughter Isabella seeks to understand the truth about what happened that night. She travels to the Centrino Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Italy where her mother has been locked away to determine if her mother is mentally ill or demonically possessed. When she recruits two young exorcists to cure her mom using unconventional methods combining both science and religion, they come face-to-face with pure evil in the form of four powerful demons possessing Maria.

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22
Hotel Transylvania poster
Hotel Transylvania
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Lead Roles: Adam Sandler as Dracula, Andy Samberg as Johnnystein, Selena Gomez as Mavis, Kevin James as Frankenstein, Fran Drescher as Eunice, Steve Buscemi as Wayne, Molly Shannon as Wanda, David Spade as Griffin, Cee Lo Green as Murray
Initial Theatrical Release: September 27, 2012 (Wide) (Aruba)
Keywords: Monster, Werewolf, Vampire, Zombies, Romance, Letting Go, 3-D, Mummy, 3-D - Shot in 3-D, Kids Horror
Classification: Original Screenplay, Adventure, Digital Animation, Kids Fiction
Domestic BO:
$148,313,048
International BO:
$229,806,421

Synopsis

Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without humans to bother them. On one special weekend, Dracula has invited some of the world's most famous monsters - Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more - to celebrate his daughter Mavis's 118th birthday. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem - but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.

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23
Underworld: Awakening poster
Underworld: Awakening
Director: Mans Marlind, Björn Stein
Lead Roles: Kate Beckinsale as Selene
Initial Theatrical Release: January 20, 2012 (Wide) by Sony Pictures
Keywords: 3-D, Vampire, Werewolf, War, IMAX: DMR, Action Horror
Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Fantasy
Domestic BO:
$62,321,039
International BO:
$98,058,891

Synopsis

Vampire warrioress Selene, escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species.

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24
The Expendables 2 poster
The Expendables 2
Director: Simon West
Lead Roles: Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, Jason Statham as Lee Christmas, Jet Li as Yin Yang, Dolph Lundgren as Gunnar Jensen, Chuck Norris as Booker
Initial Theatrical Release: August 15, 2012 (Wide) (Portugal)
Keywords: Mercenaries, Ensemble, Martial Arts, Mixed Martial Arts, War, Revenge, Screenplay Written By the Star, Intertitle, Rescue, Prologue, Action Adventure
Classification: Original Screenplay, Action, Live Action, Contemporary Fiction
Domestic BO:
$85,028,192
International BO:
$226,951,064

Synopsis

The Expendables are back and this time it's personal... Barney Ross, Lee Christmas, Yin Yang, Gunnar Jensen, Toll Road and Hale Caesar -- with newest members Billy the and Maggie aboard -- are reunited when Mr. Church enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job. The task looks like an easy paycheck for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries. But when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them. Hell-bent on payback, the crew cuts a swath of destruction through opposing forces, wreaking havoc and shutting down an unexpected threat in the nick of time - six pounds of weapons-grade plutonium; enough to change the balance of power in the world. But that's nothing compared to the justice they serve against the villainous adversary who savagely murdered their brother. That is done the Expendables way....

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25
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey poster
Domestic BO:
$303,003,568
International BO:
$711,934,977

Synopsis

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the Wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild, through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins, Orcs and deadly Wargs, as well as a mysterious and sinister figure known only as the Necromancer. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the Goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever...Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum's "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities... A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

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