7. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Say what you want about Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth, but despite mixed reviews, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey proved to be a financial success by grossing just over $1 billion, surpassing both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers but falling a bit shy of Return of the King's box office gross of $1.1 billion. The biggest thing going against the film was its pace, as Jackson's decision to split the short book into three films unnecessarily made it a bit hard to sit through. Nevertheless, fans just can't resist visiting the world of Middle Earth again. With the next film, The Desolation of Smaug, looking a bit darker than An Unexpected Journey, and with the return of Orlando Bloom as Legolas, it's safe to say that it will most likely cross the threshold and gross roughly the same amount of money. Of course, there's always the chance that fans who were left disappointed by the first outing will shy away from seeing the sequel, so it may fall short. We'll just have to see when the film is released this December.