Hunger Games Vs. The Hobbit - The Final Blockbusters of 2013

[Buddy Ackerman]

Although there are still a fair few films to come that will do well before the end of 2013 (Frozen, Walter Mitty, Anchorman 2, etc) this month and next month come down to two domineering mega franchises - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Both are expecting to pull in the crowds in huge numbers and both are possible contenders to make a billion dollars worldwide (so far in 2013 only Iron Man 3 has been able to achieve this).

Both are films entering the second chapters of their franchises after the huge hits of their debuts last year. To look at those figures one could assume The Hobbit has it in the bag - after all, it made a little over $1b whereas The Hunger Games 'only' managed $691 - a difference of just over $300m. However, since the release of the first film the interest in The Hunger Games has grown, especially internationally (where it did only 40% of its business last time) and has a hugely rabid fanbase, not to mention the fact that Jennifer Lawrence is now an Oscar-winning international film star. So will the franchise follow the Twilight model and expand with each film (which jumped 80% inbetween parts one and two, a jump that would leave Hunger Games at $1.2b) or is the extra hype just down to a louder fanbase?

The first Hobbit, though enjoyed by families and casual viewers, ran into problems with some fan over the changes to the story and the extension to three films. However, the second film has had longer to adjust to the trilogy expansion than the first and should be a stronger film for it, not to mention having new additions to tempt back the fans (anticipated characters such as Bard and Thranduil) and casual viewers (Legolas) as well as the trilogy money-shot that is the dragon Smaug himself. So will audiences come back in the same droves as they did for the first (or more - after all, Lord of the Rings jumped up between each film) or has the enthusiasm dampened somewhat?

Preamble aside - which do you think will be the biggest film of the season at the worldwide box office?

Please ignore any thoughts on which you think is "the best" or which is your favourite when voting - whether you think something is brilliant or stupid isn't the question!