Coming to a theater near you, 2005
On deck: 'Star Wars Episode III,' 'Batman,' 'Kong'
Wednesday, January 5, 2005 Posted: 3:34 PM EST (2034 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Most years look good on paper before they get under way, since Hollywood always fields enough high-profile movies to make any year sound promising.

Of course, there's no way to know, sight unseen, which films will prove to be box office winners. A year ago, for instance, who would have predicted that "The Passion of the Christ" would gross $370 million domestically, nearly matching "Spider-Man 2's" $373 million?

Nonetheless, looking ahead at 2005 suggests there are enough high-profile films in the pipeline to keep Hollywood in good spirits. Here's a quick look at 10 prime releases arriving later this year for which there are very high hopes. Opening dates, of course, are always subject to change:

1. George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" (May 19)

2. Steven Spielberg's "The War of the Worlds" (June 29)

3. Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" (May 6)

4. Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" (June 17)

5. Michael Bay's "The Island" (July 22)

6. Mike Newell's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (November 18)

7. Shawn Levy's "The Pink Panther" (September 23)

8. Martin Campbell's "The Legend of Zorro" (November 4)

9. Peter Jackson's "King Kong" (December 14)

10. Mel Brooks' and Susan Stroman's "The Producers" (December 21)