Star Power in 2012

The premise of this series I've done over the past couple years is that it's often surprising to look at the year's top films and the actors who take lead and supporting roles. The conclusion is that these days when it comes to the box office the box office leaders are often a surprising cast of characters.

I've enjoyed tracking the actors who's names appear in more than 1 top 10 grossing live-action film. This year 3 actors share this honor.

2012's Double Top 10 Grossers:

► Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, Lincoln)

► Sally Field (The Amazing Spider Man, Lincoln)

► Tommy Lee Jones (Men In Black 3; Lincoln)

2012 Top Grossing Live-Action Films:

1. The Avengers (Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston)

2. The Dark Knight Rises (Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hatheway, Marion Cottilard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman)

3. The Hunger Games (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Wes Bentley, Stanley Tucci)

4. Skyfall (Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes)

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving)

6. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Dakota Fanning, Maggie Grace, Michael Sheen, Nikki Reed)

7. The Amazing Spider-Man (Anderew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifan, Denis Leary, Marin Sheen, Sally Field, Irfhan Khan)

8. Ted (Mark Whalberg, Mila Kunis, Seth McFarlane, Joel McHale)

9. Men In Black 3 (Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Alice Eve, Michael Stuhlberg, Jermaine Clement)

10. Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Straitharn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones)

Previous "Double-Top Grossers"

► 2011 saw only one double, Tyrese Gibson (Fast 5; Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon)
► 2010 saw three doubles: Jeff Bridges (Tron Legacy, True Grit). Helena Bonhem Carter (Alice In Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part I). Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part I, Clash of the Titans)