Hannibal 2-1
The Mexican 2-1
Spy Kids 3-1
AI 6-1
Blow 6-1
Fellowship Of The Ring 8-1

This could be a strong year for movies. Scorsese, Spielberg, Soderbergh, Ridley Scott, Kevin Smith, Tim Burton and Sam Mendes all have projects in the offing. There's also the first live-action version of Lord Of The Rings, and Pixar's first non-Toy Story feature.

"But remember that commercial and critical success don't always go hand-in-hand," warns Andy Clifton, Ladbrokes' entertainment odds compiler. His advice is to look at release dates. For instance, box-office sales are higher in the Easter weekend or if the film is billed as the summer blockbuster.

Miramax's Spy Kids will have a summer release and a huge marketing campaign. It's the first Robert Rodriguez movie since The Faculty, and there's already a sequel in the pipeline.

"The plot has a lot of comedic potential, with secret agent kids protecting parents," says Andy. "And Teri Hatcher and Antonio Banderas make it appealing to both children and adults."

But for pure must-see, it's MGM's Hannibal (starring Anthony Hopkins) and DreamWorks' The Mexican, both of which had good preview screenings.

And what about the already near-legendary AI, originally conceived by the late Stanley Kubrick but now in the hands of Steven Spielberg? And why the longer odds?

"Well, it's a fascinating and unusual plot, but my gut feeling is that Spielberg is going for critical rather than commercial success," says Andy.

So could Ted Demme break into the commercial bigtime with Blow?

"The screenings have gone well in America and it has a solid cast - Johnny Depp Penelope Cruz, Ray Liotta, Dennis Leary. It could be the sleeper hit of the summer."

LOTR fans might be dismayed to see the film running behind in the stakes. "It's going to be great," says Andy. "But fantasy never smashes the box office."