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2012 was an interesting year for movies. Ensemble action films hit a box office high-mark, new franchises (and stars) were born, while other series were put out of their misery. With top ten best and worst lists being published, I decided to reflect back on the year as well, using domestic box office numbers to give a with us or not with us verdict to some of cinema’s biggest trends of the year.

Ensemble action films: In the past, one star’s name could draw an audience in to a big blow ‘em up film. Nowadays, you need to call in the cavalry. I loved all of the films I am about to mention below (besides a certain one starring werewolves and vampires) and audiences sure did too. The superhero roll call that is The Avengers soared to neck-craning heights at the box office, raking in $623.4 million. A group of 24 children and teenagers battled to the death (led by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence) in The Hunger Games, which outgrossed every Harry Potter film in its first outing at $408 million. One can even argue that The Dark Knight Rises, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, and Skyfall are ensemble efforts (even though Batman, Bella, and Bond are the clear leads, respectively, the expansive cast of characters helped bolster attention). And as a fun fact, as of right now (December 22nd), these five films make up the top five earners of the year, making the concept of jam-packing a movie with interesting characters definitely with us.

Romantic comedies: While romantic dramas fared well with audiences, adding in laughter to films with kisses proved to be an unwise combination. An invincible genre that has driven date night couples to the movies for years proved to be mortal this year with the shoulder shrugs audiences gave to high-profile flicks such as: Playing for Keeps (while still in theaters, it is unlikely to make much more than the $12 million it has already grossed), What to Expect When You’re Expecting ($41.1 million), The Five-Year Engagement ($28.7 million), Wanderlust ($17.3 million) and This Means War ($54.8 million – although technically a spy comedy, with the strong romantic undertones, this Valentine’s Day release was expected to soar much higher). The only saving grace in this genre was the successful Think Like a Man, which earned $91.5 million and a sequel. However, five out of six disappointments is enough to say that this genre is not with us.

Channing Tatum: Already a star, Tatum secured his place on the A-list, starring in three back-to-back-to-back $100 million+ grossing films. While winning over the female population with the stripper flick Magic Mike ($113.7 million total) and the romance drama The Vow ($125 million), Channing proved that he could appeal to men too, showing off his comedic skills with the absolutely hilarious TV adaptation of 21 Jump Street ($138.5 million). An impressive year with three more potential hits for 2013, Channing is with us.

Tim Burton: A not terribly prolific director, Tim Burton surprisingly treated audiences to two films this year. Unfortunately, audiences rejected both flicks. Released in May, the Johnny Depp-starring film adaptation to the soap opera Dark Shadows grossed a poor $79.7 million against a budget almost double that amount. His short film-turned-feature length black-and-white stop motion movie Frankenweenie fared worse, making only $34.4 million against its $39 million production budget (and however many millions of dollars that were poured into its pervasive marketing campaign). While the reviews for the zombie dog flick have shown that Burton hasn’t lost his touch, to audiences in 2012, he is not with us.

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