“They used to talk about appointment television,” celebrated film critic Leonard Maltin, Reelz’ resident movie expert, tells Cynopsis. “If you transpose that to appointment movie-going, that’s where we seem to be at present. There are those water cooler movies that everyone wants to be part of the conversation about on Monday morning. This year that’s Star Wars.”

Indeed, J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens obliterated all kinds of box-office records its opening weekend of Dec. 17-20, grossing $238 million in North America and earning the medal for biggest-ever opening of all time. Global box-office numbers soared to $517 million for opening weekend for the Disney title. Many devotees will have seen it at least twice before they sit down to Christmas dinner.

The new chapter of Star Wars this season “continues the two-track thing where there are huge sci fi-focused stories vs. the smaller, character-driven stories,” says Richard Hicks, Emmy-winning president of the Casting Society of America. “On the whole it’s a huge plus because it gets people excited about going to the movies. And it’s got a character-driven story in a way that reminds people that characters are a big part of what movie-goers are looking for.”

“I think it feels different this year. I’m not sure straight-up escapism is what we’re in the mood for,” says CSA’s Hicks. “But I would say Star Wars is kind of a terrific hybrid of both. It has escapism but something you can sink your teeth into.”

While the Star Wars franchise is magnetic, Rebecca Eldridge, VP of integrated & entertainment marketing at cinema advertising network NCM, also points to two additional big holiday franchises. “It’s interesting to note that some of the franchises are wrapping up in certain ways,” she says. Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 is the final chapter in the trilogy, while Columbia Pictures’ Spectre represents the end of the Daniel Craig-James Bond era. And at least one notable franchise is returning to the big screen, she notes, in Warner Bros.’ latter-day Rocky sequel Creed.

“There’s a greater mix of films that are great for the guys, the girls and families than in years past,” Eldridge says.  “It’s really about a diverse slate this year, bringing in all different demographics. People aren’t just looking for the blockbusters, they’re looking for good stories, and this year there is literally something for everyone.”

Maltin echoes the sentiment. “The current box office proves there is an audience for stimulating, provocative, adult entertainment  – whether dramatic or comedic,” Maltin says.

While it can be hard to spar in the theatrical ring with a giant, some of those stories are standing tall. Open Road Films’ newsroom drama Spotlight picked up a Golden Globe nomination for best picture – drama, as did Weinstein Co.’s Carol, A24’s Room and Twentieth Century Fox’s The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The time eligibility bumped out some of this year’s holiday crop, but Twentieth Century Fox’s star-powered Joy (Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro) and Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck, for Universal, are among the best picture – comedy noms.

Also of note is the continuing cross-pollination of actors working in both film and television, as the smaller screen embraces a new golden age. From HBO’s True Detective to CBS’ Limitless, exec-produced by Cooper and based on the movie he starred in, the two platforms are on more equal footing than ever before. “The gulf between quality movies and quality television is non-existent now and that’s why actors are eager to float freely between them,” Hicks says. “They get just as good stories to play in a limited television series as a movie.”

And just as brands can reach consumers by advertising on television, they can connect through the big screen, too. NCM provides brands access to 700 million-plus moviegoers across the country via its FirstLook preshow in-theater program. Eldridge tells Cynopsis that clients want to be associated with major blockbusters around holiday time, and with this year’s diverse crop of titles, “Cinema advertising inventory is selling out more quickly these days, and more brands are working to get ahead of this in a focused and strategic way.”

For Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for example, “we’re seeing a range of activations from cinema tie-in partners such as Verizon,” she says. “It’s exciting to see these brands tap into what will be a true pop culture moment for millions of fans and customers.”

Of course, ever-shrinking PPV windows and expanding home theater technologies  mean no film can be considered a sure thing. Even the sure things. Even at holiday time.