The stage has been set for 2016 to become one of the greatest years in the history of cinema. Never have so many unrelated franchise released so many films featuring so many iconic characters at any one time. That begs one very important questions: amid so many competitors, which film are audiences most excited to see? Two major released will be coming from Fox next year: Deadpool and X-Men: Apocalypse. Deadpool's marketing campaign has been nothing if not spot on thus far -- completely capturing the essence of the character, and setting him apart from the competition. X-Men: Apocalypse seems primed to similarly capture the spirit of its source, dropping the franchise's typically grounded aesthetic in favor of vibrant, comic book-esque visuals. Fox's Marvel properties have only improved with each passing outing since 2011, so they seem to have found their rhythm with these characters. The biggest release coming from Marvel undoubtedly come in the form of Captain America: Civil War. The Russo brothers proved their ability to direct the red white and blue Avenger in Captain America: The Winter Solider, so audiences know the character is in good hands. Fans have longed to see this iconic Marvel storyline come to fruition on the big screen ever since Captain America's shield first appeared in Tony Stark's workshop all the way back in Iron Man 2, so it could very easily gross over $1 billion. Then there's Warner Bros. with their two major releases of 2016. Suicide Squad gives the DC Extended Universe an edge over Marvel because its one of the riskiest comic book movies to date. If Jared Leto manages to nail The Joker, Suicide Squad could go on to be the bar by which comic book movie villains are measured; this is important considering villains represent an area where almost all major comic book movie studios regularly fail. WB and Zack Snyder will also be bringing arguably the two biggest superheroes of all time to the big screen in March with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Combined with the fact that Wonder Woman will also join the proceedings, DC could finally assert cinematic dominance over Marvel with either of these two films. Outside the realm of comic book movies, Independence Day: Resurgence could prove to be the surprise hit of next year. The original quite literally invented the notion of a July 4th blockbuster, so the fact that so many aspects of the original will be returning inspires hope. Given the immense success of Jurassic World, nostalgia driven blockbusters could most certainly prove to be a new commodity at the box office. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them could do the same, as the Harry Potter universe has maintained a strong following since the last film came out in 2011. Finally, Pixar's Finding Dory could potentially win 2016 just by bringing one of the best characters from one of the studios best ever films back to the center stage for another adventure. By drawing in both fans of the original who have grown up, as well as younger generations, Finding Dory casts an incredibly wide net for its audience - pun absolutely intended. What 2016 release are you most excited for?
