2012 was a great year for films, here are just some of the best films to hit the box office this year.

Les Mis�rables

January 11

The King's Speech's director Tom Hooper brings the beloved musical to the big screen with a cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, it tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption—a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.

Django Unchained

January 18

Quentin Tarantino returns with a typically unorthodox western and is, according to early reports, back on form.

Jamie Foxx is Django a slave hired by a bounty hunger who promises to free him if he captures his deadly enemies – dead or alive. His search leads them to Leonardo DiCaprio, the proprietor of 'Candyland', an infamous plantation.

Lincoln

January 25

Steven Spielberg directs Daniel Day-Lewis in a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President's tumultuous final months in office as pursues a course of action to end the Civil War, unite the country and abolish slavery. Predictions of Oscar glory.

Iron Man 3

May 3

And so it goes on… Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark aka Iron Man, although director Jon Favreau has departed the franchise with 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' director Shane Black picking up the reigns promising more action and fun in the third in the series. Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson are due to reprise their roles as Pepper Potts and Natalie Rushman respectively.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

May 17

Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the gang return for a spot of alien-bothering, planet-saving action. Word is that Benedict Cumberbatch's character is in no way affiliated with legendary space psycho Khan, that Alice Eve is indeed playing Kirk's lover-to-be Carol Marcus, and that the entire movie will be converted into 3D, which is sure to enrage some purists.

The Dark Tower

May 17

Ron Howard takes on Stephen King's seven-strong novel series about gunslinger Roland Deschain (Javier Bardem), the last living member of a knightly order on a quest to find the Dark Tower. All being well, the long-term plan is expand the movie into a trilogy and two TV series. Comparisons are already being made with 'The Lord of the Rings' series

The Great Gatsby

May 17

This $125 million verson of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel – directed by Baz Luhrmann – started shooting in September 2010 with a cast including Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, but it is finally about to arrive in cinemas. Tobey Maguire is playing Nick Carraway, a young man who moves to Long Island in 1922 and finds himself living next door to wealthy Jay Gatsby (DiCaprio).

Man Of Steel

June 14

A reboot of the Superman franchise from director Zack Snyder. Just as in 'The Amazing Spider-Man', the writers have decided to go back to the beginning with an origin tale: a child is sent to Earth from the dying planet Krypton. Those bored of comic remakes may choose to give this one a miss, but with a story by Christopher Nolan it might be worth keeping an open mind

The Lone Ranger

August 9

Johnny Depp stars in this iconic western story, although he doesn't take the lead: he's Tonto, sidekick to the titular masked ranger. Helena Bonham Carter also appears in film from Gore Verbinski, who directed Depp in three 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies.