Yahoo! Movies users pick their most anticipated movies of 2013

(Photo: Marvel Studios/Warner Bros. Pictures/Paramount Pictures)

2013 is looking to be packed to the gills with giant, blockbuster movies, so when the new year rolled around we picked and ranked the 25 titles we were looking forward to the most.  But we also wanted to know what you, our Yahoo! users, were excited about. So we included a poll in our original article and asked our readers to vote for their most anticipated movie of the year.

[Related: 25 most anticipated movies of 2013]

So how did our picks compare to yours?  Well, both the Yahoo! Movies editors and our users agree that the number one most anticipated movie of 2013 is “Iron Man 3” (May 3).  Over 44,000 votes were cast for the third chapter of the Marvel comic-book adaptation, accounting for 22% of the total.  Which shouldn’t be too surprising. The last time Robert Downey Jr. put on his mechanical armor in “The Avengers,” it was the biggest hit of the year and the third highest-grossing film of all time.  "Iron Man 3" will open the summer movie season on May 3.

Our users had a different choice for the second most anticipated film of the year, though. The movie that just missed out on the top spot with 21% of the votes is “Man of Steel,” the new take on Superman from director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan. The trailers so far have looked terrific, and our editors had it at #4 on their list.  And with Iron Man and Superman running neck and neck, it looks like the Marvel Comics/DC Comics rivalry is still going strong.  "Man of Steel" opens June 14.

Voting was also close for third, fourth and fifth place.  Users declared they were excited to see “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (13%), “Star Trek Into Darkness” (12%) and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” (11%).  All three are sequels to hugely popular movies, though “Trek” fans have had to wait four years for a new film, while the first “Hunger Games” and “Hobbit” movies both came out in 2012.  So absence from the screen doesn’t necessarily make the heart grow fonder, it would seem.

One big difference between the Yahoo! Movies editors’ picks and how users voted is for the upcoming robots-vs.-monsters flick “Pacific Rim.”  We had it at #5 on our list, above “Fast and Furious 6” and “The Hobbit,” but it only garnered 3% of user votes, ranking it at #8.  Since it’s not a sequel or adaptation, this sci-fi thriller doesn’t have the instantaneous title recognition like most of the other titles on the list. But on the other hand, many users left comments complaining about Hollywood’s lack of originality. Brian commented, “Sequels, prequels, remakes, blah blah. Maybe SOMEONE will come out with a genuinely original idea this year.”  Well, “Pacific Rim” is the rare big-budget movie that isn’t based on any pre-existing material, and we’ll see if audiences will turn out for it this July.

Here’s the full ranking of how our users voted:

1. Iron Man 3 – 22%
2. Man of Steel – 21%
3. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – 13%
4. Star Trek Into Darkness – 12%
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – 11%
6. Fast & Furious 6 – 7%
7. Anchorman: The Legend Continues – 7%
8. Pacific Rim – 3%
9. Monsters University – 2%
10. The World’s End – 1%

Are there other movies hitting screens in 2013 that you’re excited about? Tell us in the comments.

[Related: Upcoming movie trends in 2013]