The most anticpated movies of 2012 -- Welcome back to Middle Earth.

The year 2011 has barely left us and yet everyone – in the entertainment industry at least – has left it behind.

Looking ahead, there are a lot of movies coming out this year that have fans salivating.

The biggest name, of course, is Peter Jackson’s ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ – which isn’t expected to hit theaters until next Christmas (Dec. 14). While the story is a prequel to Jackson’s wildly successful ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy a few years back, fans can’t wait to get a glimpse of their Middle Earth friends again – in fact we already know Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis and Ian McKellan will be back.

There are three super hero movies coming out this summer, with a reboot of the ‘Spiderman’ franchise hitting theaters on July 3 with ‘The Social Network’s’ Andrew Garfield taking over lead actor duties from Tobey Maguire. In addition, the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ trilogy starring Christian Bale – ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ will hit theaters on July 20 and the perhaps the year’s most anticipated film – superhero hodgepodge ‘The Avengers’ will kick off the summer movie season on May 4.

On May 25, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones don their black suits one more time for some alien fun with ‘Men in Black III’ while the ‘Twilight’ saga returns one last time to entertain teenage girls (and torture everyone else) on Nov. 16.

The summer months will be bloated with a number of sequels, some I predict will do well (‘The Bourne Legacy’) and some I predict will fail miserably (‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation).

‘The Hunger Games’ finally hits screens on March 23, with Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth hoping to strike literary crossover gold, while a board game (‘Battleship’ – really?) also debuts this summer.

Following is a list of movies that are expected to make an impact at the box office:

One for the Money – Katherine Heigl takes on the loved literary character starting on Jan. 27.

The Avengers – May 4

Men in Black III --  May 25

The Dark Knight Rises  -- July 20

Twilight: Breaking Dawn 2 – Nov. 16

Underworld: Awakening – Kate Beckinsale is back (in skintight black leather, don’t worry) as vampire warrior Selene. Scott Speedman’s part in this movie is reportedly small, so fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for much resolution regarding the Selene and Michael romance. Jan. 20.

The Amazing Spiderman – July 3

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Dec. 14

The Hunger Games – March 23

GI Joe 2: Retaliation—June 29

Riddick – Vin Diesel is back as the saucy alien – although a release date hasn’t been set.

Skyfall – James Bond is back with Daniel Craig at the helm on Nov. 9.

The Bourne Legacy – Aug. 3

Red Dawn – This movie, which had a lot of scenes filmed in downtown Mount Clemens, hits theaters Nov. 2

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax – Not everyone loves Dr. Seuss adaptations. They’re a matter of taste. Danny Devito does the main voice on March 2.

Battleship – This will probably bomb on May 18.

Snow White and the Huntsman – This has to be better than ‘Twilight.’ Opens on June 1.

Dorothy of Oz – This is animated in 3D – but no one ever tires of Oz. Opens in April.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter – The first mash-up to make it to the big screen hits on June 22. It’s just preposterous enough to work.