Can 'Star Trek' Really Be The Next 'Batman Begins'?

There were some who were ready to count Paramount Pictures out. Many of its longstanding franchises, especially Star Trek, were looked at more with nostalgia than with a bright future, and other studios like Warner Bros. were knocking everyone around with its deeply diverse portfolio with everything from DC Comics movies like "Batman Begins" to the Harry Potter series.

Paramount by far doesn't release the number of films it used to -- about half of what it did even two years ago -- but what it has put in theaters is drawing plenty of attention. With the year about to end, the studio will end up second in domestic box office take with a whopping $1.5 billion in receipts, behind only the $1.9 billion from Warner Bros. (who also produced nearly double the films), and the studio might have "Star Trek" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" to thank for it.

"They're now gaining some momentum in finding their own franchises," said Richard Greenfield, a media analyst with Pali Capital, according to The New York Times. Those franchises include Star Trek, the latest film from J.J. Abrams possibly serving as a catalyst to the studio's future offerings similar to what "Batman Begins" did for Warner Bros.

While Greenfield wouldn't admit if this current momentum at the box office could be sustained, it does put Paramount "in a far, far better position than they were."

Even better, Paramount is actually turning a profit now. This time last year, it was $19 million in the red. Right now, the studio has done an about-face, earning $69 million for investors.

The best news, however, comes for "Star Trek" director Abrams himself. Paramount chief executive Brad Grey said he not only wants a new Trek film from him, but now he's interested in a fourth "Mission: Impossible" film (Abrams directed the third one). And that won't be all, Paramount is looking at putting Abrams in charge of yet another tentpole franchise for Paramount that has yet to be named.

No matter what, it will be a busy year for him.

In terms of genre films this year, Paramount had success with all four of its major properties. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" led all of them with a whopping $402.1 million in domestic box office, followed by "Star Trek" with $257.7 million. "G.I. Joe" surprised observers with $150 million while "Paranormal Activity," which was filmed on a budget of $15,000, earned $107.4 million.

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