Movie power rankings: 'The Hobbit' defeats 'The Avengers' and 'Wolverine'

Trolls. Glowing swords. Gandalf back in his grey duds. Must be time for a new trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." The first of three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book, Peter Jackson's upcoming film promises to return movie fans to the elaborate fantasy world of his smash hit "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. A new poster also proudly displays Martin Freeman as Bilbo. It doesn't open for another two and a half months or so, but get used to seeing it (and the two sequels) on the Movie Power Rankings countdown. 

Watch the video from Crackle here:

As for the rest of this week's list...

September 29, 2012

1."The Hobbit" (Last week: Not ranked)
"LOTR" fans are ready to make the journey to the local multiplex on December 14. "Not all who wander are lost..." 

2. Academy Awards (Last week: Not ranked)
The announcement of the nominees has been pushed up to January 10, making the Golden Globes even less important. 

3. "Les Miserables" (Last week: Not ranked)
Impressive. Most impressive. Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and the rest of the musical's cast sang their songs live on the film's set. The Academy's gotta love that. 

4. "The Avengers" (Last week: No. 5)
As the summer smash landed on DVD and Blu-ray this week, Marvel's Kevin Feige revealed that we won't see a solo Hulk adventure until after "The Avengers 2" hits screens -- until at least 2016. 

5. "The Lone Ranger" (Last week: Not ranked)
The financially troubled production underwent another setback with the tragic death of a crew member.

6. "The Wolverine" (Last week: Not ranked)
Hugh Jackman is back as the ornery mutant Logan, and Fox has released an ab-tastic look at the Canuck hero. 

7. "Hitchcock" (Last week: Not ranked)
Anthony Hopkins looks like he was born to play the British auteur, while Helen Mirren stars as Hitch's wife, Alma. And Scarlett Johansson takes a shower as Janet Leigh. Does it sound like an Oscar contender to you? It certainly does to Fox Searchlight. 

8. "Robopocalypse" (Last week: Not ranked)
After exploring American history with "Lincoln," Steven Spielberg will go back to the future with this sci-fi epic sarong Chris Hemsworth. To sweeten the deal, Anne Hathaway is now circling the project.  

9. "The Expendables" (Last week: Not ranked)
Ladies first. Or, um, third in this case. "Haywire" star Gina Carano will reportedly head the all-female cast of a spin-off film, while Clint Eastwood officially passes on part 3. 

10. "The Hangover Part III" (Last week: Not ranked)
The Wolf Pack is back...again. At least this time Melissa McCarthy will be along for the ride. 

Watch the previous installment of Movie Power Rankings here.

What do you think of this week's rankings? Share your thoughts below. Or tweet your thoughts with the hashtag #moviepowerrankings and tell us who you want to see in next week's edition.