LOS ANGELES, Dec 29, (Agencies): It’s first half is still playing in theaters and collecting millions of dollars at box offices, but already fans of British boy wizard Harry Potter can’t wait to see his final chapter on film. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” is the most-anticipated movie of 2011 among both men and women, according to a poll by online movie ticket seller Fandango.com. The movie, which lands in theaters in July next year, is the last in the lucrative series based on the fantasy novels by author J.K. Rowling. It was picked by 26 percent of men and 24 percent of women as the movie they most wanted to see. But the two genders differed on the No. 2 most-anticipated film for the upcoming year with women favoring vampire romance “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” while men went with drunken road-trip flick, “The Hangover 2.”

In other picks by Fandango.com users, “Black Swan” star Natalie Portman, who only this week said she is engaged and pregnant, was named by 10 percent of men as the sexiest woman in movies, while Penelope Cruz topped the list of sexy women as chosen by 7 percent of all female respondents. Angelina Jolie was the second choice of both men and women. “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp topped the list of sexiest men in the cinema among both men and women. Behind him on list chosen by men was “Green Lantern” actor Ryan Reynolds, while women chose “Iron Man” Robert Downey, Jr. as their second choice. The choices were taken among a poll of more than 1,000 people over the Christmas holiday. A full list of sexiest actors, most-anticipated movies, next big stars and other picks for 2011 can be found at www.fandango.com

Days after Oscar ballots were sent out, the final three awards contenders were set to open in theaters Wednesday — “Another Year,’’ “Biutiful’’ and ‘’Blue Valentine.’’ “Another Year,’’ written and directed by British filmmaker Mike Leigh, was to open in six theaters in New York and Los Angeles. The film stars Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville. “Blue Valentine’’ was to show in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles. The drama, starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, made headlines for earning a commercially poisonous NC-17 rating for explicit sexual scenes, but the tag was reduced to a less-restrictive R rating on appeal. “Biutiful’’ was to play in one theater in New York and one in Los Angeles to qualify for Oscar consideration. The Javier Bardem film officially opens in a limited run Jan 28.
After a long downturn in the indie market, business has been picking up, with fims such as “Black Swan’’ and “The Fighter’’ crossing over to the mainstream.

Business picked up at the North American box office as the East Coast dug itself out of piles of snow and as vacationing kids across the country looked for something to do, according to studio estimates issued Tuesday. With some adults returning to work, family films saw narrower drops than adult fare on Monday, although the Christmas Day release “Gulliver’s Travels’’ struggled, coming in No. 7 for the day with $2.7 million and a three-day total of $9 million. “Little Fockers’’ ($8.5 million) “True Grit’’ ($7.1 million) and “Tron: Legacy’’ ($6.3 million) took the top three spots on Monday, just as they did during the weekend.

“Fockers’’ has earned $53.6 million since opening last Wednesday, and is pacing $30 million behind its predecessor ‘’Meet the Fockers,’’ which was released at exactly the same time in 2004. “True Grit,’’ buoyed by critical acclaim, is overperforming for a Western. It has earned $43.2 million since Wednesday. ‘’Tron: Legacy’’ has pulled in $93.7 million since Dec 17. Usually, box office revenues fall off dramatically midweek. Not so for this week. On Monday, “Fockers’’ was down only 25% from Sunday and “True Grit,’’ 25%. Family fare saw even narrower drops. “Tron: Legacy’’ was down 16%, while “Yogi Bear’’ was up 11%. The film, which has generally underperformed since opening Dec. 17, grossed $3.6 million on Monday to place No. 4. Its total is $39.5 million. “Gulliver’s Travels’’ was down 6% from Sunday, but should also have risen since it is the freshest family title in the market. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’’ was down 4%, grossing an estimated $3.5 million to come in at No. 5 as its total rose to $66.1 million.

“Elite Squad 2,” a Brazilian movie mixing explosive action with political intrigue, has become Brazil’s top movie of all time, besting even the US blockbuster “Avatar” at the national box office, producers and industry specialists said Tuesday. The movie, a sequel to a 2007 original that also became a huge success, has taken 60.5 million dollars in Brazilian ticket sales since its premiere three months ago, topping the 60.4 million dollars “Avatar” pocketed over a similar period, the industry outlet Filme B said. “The film has grabbed the title of the biggest box office hit in Brazilian cinema history, topping the blockbuster ‘Avatar’ by James Cameron,” the producers of the movie crowed on their website. The launch of “Elite Squad 2” in Brazil coincided with a spectacular real-life operation by the crack police squad of its title that swept brutal drug gangs out of a nest of slums in Rio de Janeiro. It is to get its international showing next month at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States.