One thing that is always available to the Simpson College student body is $4 movies at the local Fridley Theaters. With the year 2012 coming to an end, here’s a quick look back at the highest grossing movies for this year, and what movies college students have to look forward to in 2013.

There were countless movies released in the year 2012. Of all the movies that have been released so far, there were 23 that have grossed over $100,000,000 as of Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22. These movies include originals, sequels, new takes on old favorite, and both the beginnings and endings of legendary movie series.

These 23 notable movies are as follows:

Marvel’s The Avengers: $623,357,910

The Dark Knight Rises: $447,937,000

The Hunger Games: $408,010,692

The Amazing Spider-Man: $262,030,663

Brave: $236,619,922

Ted: $218,665,740

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted: $216,391,482

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax: $214,030,500

MIB 3: $179,020,854

Skyfall: $178,045,000

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2: $175,731,000

Ice Age: Continental Drift: $160,714,310

Snow White and the Huntsman: $155,136,755

Hotel Transylvania: $143,012,145

21 Jump Street: $138,447,667

Taken 2: $135,363,000

Wreck-It Ralph: $130,248,000

Prometheus: $126,477,084

Safe House: $126,181,630

The Vow: $125,014,030

Magic Mike: $113,721,571

The Bourne Legacy: $113,203,870

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island: $103,860,290

One other noteworthy movie for 2012 is the highly anticipated first installment of the movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit, which hits theaters on Dec. 14.

Another highly anticipated December release is the movie adaptation of the highly successful Broadway show Les Miserables.

There are quite a few movies set to release during 2013 that already have a lot of hype behind them. Some of those movies are listed below, as well as a little bit about them in case you aren’t sure what they are, in the order of their tentative release dates.

Oz: The Great and Powerful

This Disney movie stars James Franco along with Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, just to name a few. The story is in a way a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Franco stars as Oscar Diggs, who over the course of the movie becomes the Wizard of Oz through his trials with three witches, played by Kunis, Weisz and Williams.

The Host

The movie adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s novel, of the same name, stars Saoirse Ronan as main character Melanie Stryder. The majority of the human race has been infected by an alien race that uses the human body as a host, hence the name. When the alien infects her, instead of being completely overtaken, the two individuals form a bond and help to save what is left of the human race.

The Great Gatsby

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher star in the movie adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. Maguire stars as Nick Carraway, who becomes part of the inner circle of his rich and extravagant new neighbor Jay Gatsby; however, Gatsby turns out not to be the great man he appears.

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Another movie adaptation of a popular book, Lily Collins stars as Clary Fray, a girl who is a lot more than she originally appears. With the help of Jace Wayland, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, she embarks on a quest to save her mother and learns the truth about her past along the way. There will be more movies to come in this series: this is only the first of at least five books, with both sequels and prequels released or set to be released in book form.

One Direction Concert Movie

Hannah Montana did it, the Jonas Brothers did too, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber did also, so it seems only fitting that One Direction would jump on the 3D concert movie bandwagon. It is currently set to release in August and will show a behind-the-scenes look at the band’s life while on tour.

Along with these originals and book adaptations, there are a lot of sequels to incredibly popular movies and movie series that are coming out in 2013. Iron Man 3, The Hangover Part III, Monsters University (sequel to Monsters, Inc), Despicable Me 2, Thor: The Dark World, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug are all set for release in 2013, to name just a few.