Harry Potter is not only a young and powerful wizard but also demands an undeniable web presence. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the most popular movie of 2004, according to searches by Lycos users. Back in 2001 and 2002, the previous Harry Potter movies each made it to number one, so it was almost expected when Prisoner of Azkaban opened. Even though the interest in all things Harry has dropped since last year, searches for Potter-mania are still double the next nearest film, The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King.

Overall, this literary and film dynasty shows no sign of stopping. Next Thanksgiving we can expect to get the next Harry Potter film, Goblet of Fire, and it was also just announced that J.K Rowling plans on releasing her next blockbuster novel this July. Next year will be quite a challenge for our young prince as he will be up against a slew of other literary characters eager to take the top-searched spot. The wizard will be on the look out for the Dark Knight (Batman Begins), Willy Wonka (and the Chocolate Factory), the comic book sensation The Fantastic Four with Jessica Alba and evil Darth Vader who has the power of the 'force'.

Our top most-searched movies of 2004: Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, The Passion of the Christ, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, along with The Incredibles which was released recently, - accounted for roughly one-sixth of Hollywood's overall projected revenues of nearly $9.4 billion.

Here are the Top 20 movies of 2004, with last year's rank in parentheses. Movies based on TV shows or video games have been adjusted to better reflect movie-driven searches.

1. Harry Potter (2)
2. Lord of the Rings (3)
3. Star Wars (5)
4. Spider-Man 2 (8)
5. The Passion of Christ (-)
6. The Girl Next Door (-)
7. Shrek 2 (-)
8. Van Helsing (-)
9. Troy (-)
10. Kill Bill 2 (-)

11. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (7)
12. Pirates of the Caribbean (11)
13. Dawn of the Dead (-)
14. Tomb Raider (16)
15. Finding Nemo (13)
16. Cowboy Bebop (19)
17. Alien vs. Predator (-)
18. Lizzie McGuire (20)
19. The Hulk (9)
20. Blade Trinity (-)

SLEEPER HIT OF THE YEAR: Ubergeeks rule the world as Napoleon Dynamite finds web popularity and box office success. Napoleon Dynamite was as popular with web users as well as moviegoers. The summer's surprise little hit, a $400,000 first feature about a high school nerd in a small Idaho town that took in more than $40 million at the box office. The film was so quirky that it was tough not to love it. Napoleon was as popular as the iconic Wizard of Oz and another top grossing film of the year - Sharks Tale.

HIT PROPHET: Our last predictions of ones to watch, based on your search activity, in 2004 were right on target including the huge popularity of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Major studios passed on Mel Gibson's religious saga, which became a $370 million blockbuster.

ONES TO WATCH:
Batman Begins - June 17, 2005. Time to breathe new life into a tired franchise, Memento Director Chris Nolan explores the beginning of the Dark Knight saga. As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of him, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge. The film stars Christian Bale as the young Batman, Katie Holmes and Liam Neeson.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - July 15, 2005. Rather than being a remake of the 1971 Gene Wilder film Willy Wonka, Burton's movie will reportedly be a more faithful adaptation of the Dahl novel. The film is starring web darling Johnny Depp as the infamous Willy Wonka. Oompa Loompas and some of the other colorful characters from the upcoming film totally will be the Halloween costume of choice in 2005.

Based on growing search activity now, other films to watch as you gobble up your vat of popcorn: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Amityville Horror- remake, Naomi Watts in the next installment The Ring 2 and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as secret assassins in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

TOMORROW: Top sports stars.