LOS ANGELES, (CNN) - Despite a summer in which they released dozens of movies, sold hundreds of millions of tickets and grossed a record $3 billion-plus, movie studios are not taking a breather. More than 130 movies are scheduled to open between Labor Day and the Christmas holidays.
Do the math, moviegoer: That's at least one for every day between now and the end of the year.
Some of them will make a bundle. Others may rake in a bundle of Oscars. Some, despite their big stars and big budgets, will only bumble.
Look for some good stuff as the film season winds down and the Academy Awards loom again, says Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen.
"We're going to see the Oscar race really starting to heat up ... especially in the acting-award categories," he says.
Among the big-name films:
"Spy Game." It teams Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in a film about a CIA operative and his protege. "The Last Castle." Redford again, this time with James Gandolfini, as an imprisoned general who provokes a battle with the prison warden. "The Shipping News." Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore and Dame Judi Dench star in the film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx. "K-Pax." Spacey again, starring as mental-hospital patient who claims he's an alien. "A Beautiful Mind." Russell Crowe's newest movie stars him as John Forbes Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize-winning mathematician afflicted with paranoid schizophrenia. "Windtalkers." Nicolas Cage in a film about the Navajo code-talkers of World War II. "The Affair of the Necklace." A woman in pre-Revolutionary France attempts to steal a necklace to restore the family name. Hilary Swank stars. "Vanilla Sky." Cruise and Cruz -- Tom and Penelope -- in a remake of a Spanish film about a womanizer, a jilted lover and a series of tangled relationships. Crime, both its light and dark sides, is also filling screens this fall:
"Bandits." Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton are bank robbers who fall in love with the woman they've kidnapped, played by Cate Blanchett. "Heist." Director David Mamet returns to familiar thieves-and-conmen territory in his new film, starring Gene Hackman as a jewel thief. "Training Day." Denzel Washington plays a corrupt cop working with fellow officer Ethan Hawke. "The One." Jet Li travels through time to fight himself. "Gangs of New York." Leonardo DiCaprio in a Martin Scorsese film about the 19th century gangs of Manhattan. "From Hell." The Hughes brothers (1993's "Menace II Society") follow the tale of Jack the Ripper. Starring Johnny Depp. In the mood for something more classic? Consider some of this fine fodder for fall flicks:
"The Musketeer." Alexandre Dumas pere's novel "The Three Musketeers" never goes out of style. This version features Tim Roth and Stephen Rea. "The Count of Monte Cristo." Based on another Dumas story, this movie stars Guy Pearce ("Memento") as the imprisoned count. "Hearts in Atlantis." Stephen King's novel about the legacy of Vietnam, starring Anthony Hopkins and with a script by William Goldman. "Big Trouble." How do you translate a wild Dave Barry book about wacky Miamians to the screen? With a large, Tim Allen-led cast and direction by "Men in Black" helmer Barry Sonnenfeld. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." The first book of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy comes to the screen with Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." J.K. Rowling's wizard's tale, probably the most eagerly awaited fall movie, hits screens just before Thanksgiving. Other fall movies include:
"Monsters, Inc." The latest computer-animated wonder from Pixar, the folks who brought us the "Toy Story" films. "Max Keeble's Big Move." A young student tries to get back at his tormentors, but then has to take his comeuppance. "Don't Say a Word." Michael Douglas in a film about a terrorized family. "The Glass House." Diane Lane and Leelee Sobieski in a thriller about an orphan and the family that takes her in. "Domestic Disturbance." John Travolta and Vince Vaughn are among the stars in this thriller about a strange stepfather. "Shallow Hal." The Farrelly brothers showcase Gwyneth Paltrow. And boy, is she overweight. "Corky Romano." A comedy about the son of a Mafia don, with Chris Kattan. "Novocaine." Steve Martin's latest is a comedy-drama about a dentist who becomes a murder suspect. "Ali." Will Smith stars as Muhammad Ali in a biopic directed by Michael Mann. "Zoolander." Ben Stiller directs and stars in a film about a male fashion model has-been. EW's Jensen sees at least one cinematic clash on the horizon.
"We'll definitely see a huge battle for the family audience between 'Harry Potter' and 'Monsters, Inc.,' " he says.
John Hurt, who plays Mr. Ollivander in "Potter," likes his movie's chances.
"All I can tell you is the sets were incredible, and I had my two children there and they were completely knocked out," he says.
Who will the winners and losers be? Remember the Hollywood dictum from famed screenwriter William Goldman: "Nobody knows anything."
The best thing to do in the meantime, moviegoer, is order a large tub of popcorn, sit back and let your eyes adjust to the dark.
