MANY HAPPY RETURNS HOLLYWOOD HAS HIGH HOPES THAT A FEAST OF 2007 SEQUELS WILL DELIVER BOX OFFICE RECORDS.

Byline: GREG HERNANDEZ Staff Writer

All that's missing from the 2007 movie schedule is a ``Star Wars'' or a ``Lord of the Rings.''

Otherwise, it's a perfect storm of recent blockbuster franchises, all coming out with new installments, that could result in the biggest box office year Hollywood has ever had.

New chapters of ``Spider-Man,'' ``Shrek'' and ``Pirates of the Caribbean'' will come out within weeks of one other in May alone. They will be followed by installments of the ``Harry Potter,'' ``Fantastic Four'' and ``Bourne'' series, among others.

``It's certainly a feast for moviegoers,'' said Sony Pictures Vice Chairman Jeff Blake, whose studio is releasing ``Spider-Man 3.'' ``I think sometimes people want to focus on the fact that these are sequels in a negative way. But what is coming in 2007 represents the best of what Hollywood has to offer. It's going to be moviegoer heaven.''

So do all of these movies, which several box office analysts believe are sure-fire major hits, guarantee record revenue for the movie industry this year?

The highest-grossing year to date was 2004, when Hollywood brought in $9.45 billion. That year, the top two moneymakers were ``Shrek 2'' and ``Spider-Man 2,'' which took in $441.2 million and $373.6 million, respectively. But that year was followed by a 2005 so riddled with flops that the theatrical movie experience was thought by many to be in an irreversible decline.

``This seems like a stronger lineup than in other sequel-heavy years, like 2003, when many of them, like `Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,' `The Matrix Revolutions' and `Terminator 3,' disappointed,'' said Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo. ``It would be surprising if the (overall 2007 gross) doesn't go up vs. 2004 also because of ticket price inflation.''

After the 2006 season ended on Sunday with a total of $9.4 billion in ticket sales, there seems to be great optimism looking forward.

Year of the sequel

``To me, 2005 was the year of the slump, 2006 is year of recovery, and 2007 is the year of the sequel,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. ``It bodes well for 2007 to have all of these high-profile sequels from very well-performing franchises.''

The most recent ``Pirates'' movie earned $423.3 million last summer, making it the top-grossing movie of 2006. That puts the third installment of the Johnny Depp franchise, ``Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End,'' out May 25, in a prime position.

``What's important is these are the biggest franchises today coming back with new installments; it's not a bunch of `Basic Instinct 2'-type sequels,'' said Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. ``These are movies people really want to see.''

``Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' will be the fifth installment of the series to hit theaters when it opens July 13. The first movie in this reliable series, 2001's ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' has been the top-grosser, with a take of $317.6 million. The lowest was 2004's ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' ($249.5 million) with the other two coming in between.

Also on tap is a sequel to the surprise 2004 smash ``National Treasure''; another of George Clooney's popular ``Ocean's'' movies; a sequel to ``Bruce Almighty,'' starring Steve Carell, called ``Evan Almighty''; and the return of serial killer Hannibal Lecter in a prequel called ``Hannibal Rising.''

Pixar's next hit?

The most surefire nonsequel movie: a Pixar Animation entry called ``Ratatouille.'' Every previous Pixar film has been a major box office hit, including last year's ``Cars'' ($244 million). In 2003, ``Finding Nemo'' became the most successful Pixar title, with a gross of just under $340 million.

``Every studio has blockbuster potential in their lineup and a lot of solid opportunity films that can cross the $100 million mark,'' observed Disney distribution head Chuck Viane, whose studio has ``Pirates,'' ``National Treasure 2'' and ``Ratatouille'' on its slate. ``You hit the big high concepts like `Pirates' and `Ratatouille'' that are really well complemented by the movies that come out each and every month.''

Sequels that allow too much time to pass between installments can sometimes lose heat, evidenced last year by the poor performance of ``Mission: Impossible III,'' which came out six years after the previous film.

So that leaves question marks about ``Rush Hour 3,'' which reunites Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, and the return of Bruce Willis as John McClane in ``Live Free or Die Hard.'' In 2001, ``Rush Hour 2'' took in an impressive $226 million, so it will likely be better remembered than 1995's ``Die Hard: With a Vengeance,'' which grossed $100 million domestically.

But, with ``Rocky Balboa'' a moderate hit ($53.6 million to date) after 16 years between installments, it's still possible to connect with fans old and new -- particularly with earlier chapters on DVD.

Horror sequels -- usually inexpensive to make and big openers with teen audiences -- will have a presence this year with ``Hostel 2,'' ``The Hills Have Eyes II,'' ``Resident Evil 3'' and ``Saw IV.''

But, to qualify for blockbuster status, a film usually has to have the multigenerational appeal of the ``Spider-Man,'' ``Shrek,'' ``Harry Potter'' and ``Pirates'' movies.

``Basically any film which can capture the entire moviegoing audience is good for the business,'' said Pandya, ``because you are not just bringing in one demographic; you are bringing in everyone.''

greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

4 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- color) Studios are hoping new chapters of ``Spider-Man,'' ``Shrek'' and ``Pirates of the Caribbean,'' all set to come out in May, will result in the biggest box office year in Hollywood history.

(4) Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts in ``Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.''

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Box:

New chapters

Source: Box Office Mojo