Although the season of Summer (in the northern hemisphere) does not begin until the end of June, the summer blockbuster season began the first full weekend of May. School is not officially out in most places, but some colleges finish classes early in May and throughout the month until all the kids and young adults are on break and can flock to the movies in large numbers.

May will just whet our appetites as a number of big names release hoping to get an early drop on the race, but Memorial Day and July 4th are the two biggest weekends of the season by far, at least studios hope they will be. This year, Prince of Persia and Twilight Saga: Eclipse hold those two positions respectively. However, there is sure to be a lot of activity outside of those two windows as this weekend’s massive opening for Iron Man 2 started the summer off with a bang.

Here’s a week-by-week breakdown of all the films I know of that are scheduled to release this summer season along with a little commentary from yours truly.

May 7-9

Iron Man 2

Box Office Prospects: $350 M
Premise: Sequel to the hit 2008 film starring Robert Downey Jr. as genius enterpreneur Tony Stark and his technologically powerful armor-body suit.
Opinion: As a fan of the original, I definitely put my money down on this one. I didn’t expect a lot out of it and that’s exactly what I got.

Babies

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: A documentary about four babies raised in disparate parts of the world and just how similar their growing-up experience can be.
Opinion: I don’t have any desire to sit down and watch a lengthy documentary about babies, especially when many of the scenes in the trailer give little hope for an non-influential hand from the filmmaker.

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

Box Office Prospects: $25 M
Premise: A documentary exploring the connections convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff had to a number of prominent politicians.
Opinion: It certainly seems like a fascinating idea and exposing political corruption is a noble pursuit.

Mother and Child

Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Premise: Several individuals find their lives interconnected as a mother seeks out the daughter she gave up for adoption and other mothers begin the process of adopting thir own children.
Opinion: The trailer does not give me hope that this will be anything short of stiff and self-promoting.

May 14-16

Robin Hood

Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Premise: A gritty, realistic conceptualization of the origins of the real Robin Hood.
Opinion: It looks a bit too much like Gladiator for my taste, but Cate Blanchett alone is enough reason for me to see it.

Just Wright

Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Premise: A physical trainer gets a dream job where she must deal with the married man she’s falling in love.
Opinion: I’m not interested in the concept, no matter how much I like Queen Latifah.

Letters to Juliet

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: A young tourist finds a secret stash of love letters and attempts to find their destined recipient while working out her own emotional turmoils regarding love.
Opinion: Looks like it may be coated in saccharine, but Vanessa Redgrave looks wonderful as always.

May 21-23

Shrek Forever After

Box Office Prospects: $350 M
Premise: As Shrek laments the loss of his past identity, Rumplestiltskin offers to help him relive that life, while tricking him into signing over the life he’s come to know.
Opinion: The franchise is slowly running out of steam and the trailer seems to support that idea as the one-liners are getting less funny, the scenes are less inventive and the concept lacks originality. I’ll still see it, but I’m not going to hold out much hope for this one.

MacGruber

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: Adapted from the Saturday Night Live skit about a daring adventurer who takes on terrorists using flimsy devices, spoofing the long-running ’80s series MacGuyver.
Opinion: Saturday Night Live adaptations are often terrible and seldom funny. This one doesn’t look to be much different.

Holy Rollers

Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Premise: A young Orthodox Jew becomes an Ecstasy dealer when his friend convinces him to join the trade.
Opinion: Although it’s a festival circuit kind of movie, nothing about the premise or the trailer makes me think this will be much of a success. Box office no-names aren’t likely to buoy the film.

May 28-30

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Box Office Prospects: $300 M
Premise: Based on the acclaimed action/adventure video game, Sands of Time sets up the story for what is sure to be another Disney franchise.
Opinion: Some of the visuals look good, but there’s too much video game action in the trailer to suggest more than a mindless piece of fluff entertainment.

Sex and the City 2

Box Office Prospects: $250 M
Premise: Sequel to the popular television adaptation about four New York women who share their lives, their fashion and their romantic entanglements over brunch. In this film, they decide to take an excursion to Egypt to get away from their worries and have a great time.
Opinion: Some very talented actresses are in this film, but having never seen the series nor the original film, I don’t have much interest in seeing this film.

Survival of the Dead

Box Office Prospects: $30 M
Premise: In George A. Romero’s long-running franchise, a small island community combats zombies while dealing with family and serenity in a back-to-basics kind of way when a group of soldiers seek that solitude for themselves and decide to move in to this idyllic, but unusual town.
Opinion: I’m not a zombie fan. They’ve never been that interesting of creatures despite holding a very high opinion within many circles. This one doesn’t look too bad, but I would want to see all of the previous films first.

Micmacs

Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Premise: A fantastical world where two inventors hatch a wicked plan to bring down a pair of tyrannical weapons manufacturers.
Opinion: Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a certain style about his films that is inviting and this one looks quite interesting, but I’m not certain I will end up seeing this at the theaters, nor do I think many will.

June 4-6

Get Him to the Greek

Box Office Prospects: $105 M
Premise: An inept record company intern desperately hopes to please his bosses by accepting a crazy assignment to retrieve and escort an egocentric, partying musical artist to a concert at L.A.’s Greek Theater.
Opinion: I won’t be watching this film, unless I got to see it for free. It looks blatantly idiotic and the trailer is about as funny as a hernia.

Killers

Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Premise: While vacationing, a recently single woman encounters a sexy romantic with whom she falls in love only to discover he’s actually a secret agent who takes her along for the ride.
Opinion: Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher are both television-to-film transplants and neither has exactly proven to be box office boosters, nor are they poisonous. This romantic thriller premise may be good for a little bit of money, but I doubt I’ll watch it.

Marmaduke

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: Adapted from the single-frame Sunday morning comic Marmaduke, this live-action picture witnesses Marmaduke and his family moving into a new neighborhood where he will obviously get into loads of trouble.
Opinion: After the disaster that was Garfield, I can’t imagine this film being very entertaining.

Splice

Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Premise: A pair of geneticists use their knowledge and resources to create an artificial life who has a mind for killing.
Opinion: Trying too hard to splice into the public distrust of genetic research and the potential for human cloning, this film is likely to meet a mostly apathetic crowd.

Ondine

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: A down-on-his-luck fisherman catches a creature of fantasy in his nets and falls in love with her only to be challenged by those who don’t want her to stay on land.
Opinion: It’s a concept that isn’t likely to appeal to a lot of American audiences as most of them will be unfamiliar with what a selkie is and the strict romantic drama may appeal to some, but is doubtful to bring in too many curious parties.

June 11-13

The A-Team

Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Premise: Adapted from the hit ’80s television series, The A-Team gets the origin-story treatment with what studios hope will be a new and popular retro-franchise.
Opinion: I’ll see it because I have vague memories of the original series, which will probably be the reason most go to see it. However, it doesn’t look all that great and will probably disappoint as many people as it entertains.

The Karate Kid

Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Premise: Rebooting the franchise, this remake of the original Karate Kid finds an American child transplanted to China where he must learn to adapt and survive in a foreign culture.
Opinion: Jackie Chan is no Pat Morita. Jaden Smith is no Ralph Macchio. This remake has catastrophe written all over it and the trailer does not ease my mind about that.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Premise: A documentary on the life of comedian, host and mogul Joan Rivers.
Opinion: What should probably be a biography on cable television, this concept is so seemingly unnecessary that I can’t exactly see why it would succeed.

June 18-20

Toy Story 3

Box Office Prospects: $400 M
Premise: Having grown up and gone off to college, Andy donates his childhood toys to a day care center, which causes them to feel abandoned while hopeful of their new lives to play with other kids again.
Opinion: If there’s a company that can make an exceptional sequel, it’s Pixar. Their Toy Story 2 was a marvelous sequel, but the trailer is not giving me hope that it will be of the same caliber. Still, as long as it’s near the same quality level as Cars, it should still be at least entertaining.

Jonah Hex

Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Premise: A comic book adaptation, this film sees an Old West bounty hunter receive an offer from the government to earn his freedom. All he has to do is stop a terrorist ready to unless a malefic deed on the United States.
Opinion: I haven’t seen the trailer for this yet, so I’ll reserve judgment, but by pitting the film against Toy Story 3, either the studio is hoping the film will provide sufficient counter-programming or they don’t have a lot of faith in its fiscal prospects. Either way, I’m not going to expect much.

Cyrus

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: Inept at love and relationships, a middle aged divorcee finds himself attracted to a single mother whose grown son lives with her and threatens his chance at happiness.
Opinion: I haven’t seen a Jonah Hill or John C. Reilly film I’ve liked in quite some time. Although this one promises to be more independent minded, I can’t shake the feeling that the studios are going to botch the campaign for this film and it will end up crashing without problems.

I Am Love

Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Premise: An Italian foreign language film finds a Russian emigre trapped in a loveless marriage who seeks carnal pleasure outside of her new, well-appointed home life.
Opinion: I do like Tilda Swinton a great deal, but the trailer doesn’t look terribly tantalizing and the concept doesn’t really have a spark of originality.

June 25-27

Grown Ups

Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Premise: Five grade school chums get back together as adults to celebrate their accomplishments, remember the good old days and share their families and lives with each other.
Opinion: There isn’t an actor in this cast that doesn’t tell me this is going to be outlandishly stupid and unbelievably crass. And not a single one of them or the film’s trailer make me want to see the picture.

Knight and Day

Box Office Prospects: $100 M
Premise: A pair of fugitives travel the globe as they attempt to escape their pursuers and avoid being caught by various persons who they don’t know if they can trust, and if they can’t even trust themselves, what hope do they have of survival?
Opinion: I haven’t seen a lot about this film, but Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise make for an interesting pairing. If it’s too much like Killers, they could end up falling flat, but I have a feeling this will be more appealing to audiences than the Kutcher/Heigl combination.

July 2-4

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Box Office Prospects: $375 M
Premise: As Edward and Jacob battle it out for the heart of Bella, a new group of unaligned vampires rises that force the existing vampire and werewolf clans to come together to defeat this new menace.
Opinion: I haven’t seen the first two films. I have no desire to see them. I won’t see this film or any of the subsequent pictures.

The Last Airbender

Box Office Prospects: $300 M
Premise: The last surviving member of his race, a young boy who can control all of the elements at once becomes the world’s only hope to stop the fire race from destroying all of the other races.
Opinion: The visuals look pretty good and as this is the first time M. Night Shyamalan has adapted another work, I doubt he’ll be able to screw audiences over with his unbelievably ludicrous twists. So, that should make for a more enjoyable adventure.

Twelve

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: His best friend arrested for the murder of his cousin forces a young dealer to come to terms with his life and the forces that are determined to bring him down.
Opinion: The film has very little buzz brewing and I can’t imagine it earning much of a box office gross against two juggernauts. Still, the concept isn’t uninteresting, so it could be worth a try.

July 9-11

Despicable Me

Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Premise: A criminal mastermind, Gru is demoted from being the best by a mechanical genius who is determined to destroy his career while Gru tries to reclaim his position.
Opinion: The trailers have been less than funny and without Steve Carell’s image to bolster sales, I can see this one appealing only to young children and those who might expect something on the level of The Incredibles. They will be sorely disappointed.

Predators

Box Office Prospects: $125 M
Premise: Try to bolster the franchise’s flagging following, this new film takes a group of legendary killers and puts them on a remote game preserve where they must outsmart and outlast the deadly, invisible predators.
Opinion: I have only seen the second film in this franchise and if you rearrange the letters in the word “this”, you’ll know how I feel about the entire thing. No, I won’t see it. While I’m not a fan, there are plenty of others which may give this film a decent boost.

The Kids Are All Right

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: A lesbian couple discover their children want to meet their biological father who is more than happy to become involved in their lives, which threatens to upset their superficially happy lives.
Opinion: There is some amazing talent in this cast and I can’t imagine not wanting to see this film. I doubt audiences will be drawn to it, but there will be a small, but dedicated following that will not only watch the film, but may push it towards Oscar consideration.

July 16-18

Inception

Box Office Prospects: $200 M
Premise: Director Christopher Nolan explores the concept of dream invasion in this sci-fi drama about a futuristic world where technology can take over your mind and how a single idea can be a dangerous weapon.
Opinion: Nolan has a knack for creating terrific pictures. He knows how to explore the internal psyche in ways most blockbuster directors could only dream of doing. This film while not necessarily the most original concept, certainly promises to make some thought provoking statements and may very well end up the success that three of his last four films have been.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Premise: In an effort to defend New York City from his arch nemesis, a master sorcerer takes on an everyday guy as his new apprentice.
Opinion: When I can smell a disaster this far away, then the likelihood of failure is high. It may have a strong opening, but word of mouth will more likely kill the film before it gets going. However, we could all be surprised and watch the film become a $150 M success.

July 23-25

Dinner for Schmucks

Box Office Prospects: $ 200 M
Premise: In order to get a promotion within his company an IRS agent agrees to participate in a dinner party where each guest brings an “schmuck” to entertain the other guests.
Opinion: The Austin Powers director knows how to sell a film and with Steve Carell in full-on lunacy mode, he should have little trouble. And, I must admit it doesn’t look as bad as it could potentially be and with Paul Rudd on the docket, at least audiences will have someone more interesting than Carell to watch.

Salt

Box Office Prospects: $175 M
Premise: Confronted with the idea that she’s a Russian spy, American CIA agent Evelyn Salt must fight against time and a potential doppelganger to prove her innocence and either take or save the life of the President.
Opinion: I am a bit intrigued by the concept and the assured twist should enliven even a dull picture. however, there is also the chance that it will be dreadfully rote and unexceptionally bland. At least the always-interesting Angelina Jolie stars.

Ramona and Beezus

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: An adaptation of Beverly Cleary’s popular children’s books about the irrepressible grade schooler Ramona Quimby.
Opinion: It’s a bit too young for my tastes. I never read the books as young student and I don’t plan on watching the film, and I’ll bet a lot of people feel the same way. Kit Kittredge couldn’t ignite the box office, but Ramona, being more recognizable to more audiences, might fare a little better.

July 30-August 1

I Love You Phillip Morris

Box Office Prospects: $95 M
Premise: After a serious accident, Steven (Jim Carrey) decides to live life to the fullest, even if it involves breaking the law. When he’s jailed for his crimes, he falls in love with a fellow inmate whom he wants to free from jail so they can spend a perfect life together.
Opinion: The straight-to-gay theme mixed with Carrey’s typical buffoonery does not give me hope this film will be anything entertaining. The likelihood of it being built on stereotypes and course humor at the expense of its subjects is bound to appeal to some (after all, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry was a box office success despite being regularly offensive), so it could post strong numbers on Carrey’s name alone.

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Box Office Prospects: $ 75 M
Premise: Sequel to the 2001 hit, two spy organizations, comprised entirely of cats and dogs, come together to thwart an evil kitty mastermind.
Opinion: The first time around, the film made nearly $100 M at the box office, but this was 9 years ago. A sequel so far removed from its original is bound to lose a bit of the luster. The trailer makes it look as redundant as the idea could possibly have seemed on the page.

Beastly

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: A wealthy and handsome jerk is cursed to become ugly so that he has to discover his inner self and become a better man.
Opinion: This modernized Beauty and the Beast story looks intensely lame. No doubt many female viewers will flock to the film, but I can’t imagine it doing too terribly well after the initial “awww” factor wears off.

Get Low

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: A cantankerous hermit throws a raucous funeral party while he’s still alive.
Opinion: Strangely enough, the film features a wide array of interesting actors, which could prove more involving for a lot of older and more indie-minded audiences than for the masses.

Charlie St. Cloud

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: A grief-stricken brother visits the cemetery to play catch and talk with his brother until a girl comes into his life that threatens to upset the balance.
Opinion: Zac Efron has yet to prove he’s a box office draw. After the weak performance of 17 Again and the dismal offering of Me and Orson Welles, I have very low expectations for this to do well at the box office. The premise seems baity to me and might appeal well to the tweens that made Efron a sex symbol, but they are going to have to be head-over-heels to make this a success.

August 6-8

The Other Guys

Box Office Prospects: $120 M
Premise: Two desk jockey cops find themselves thrust into the middle of a city-wide incident as they try to achieve the admiration and success of their more glossy and celebrated co-workers.
Opinion: It looks like mostly harmless fun, but I get tired of seeing Will Farrell. After the colossal failure of land of the lost, this should give him a much needed boost in popularity.

Step Up 3-D

Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Premise: The third film in the franchise about street dancers, their classical origins, and how they explore love and life through dance.
Opinion: The original film made $65 M at the box office. The sequel racked up nearly $60 M. Diminishing returns might have hit this third film were it not showing in 3D, which, with higher ticket prices and the curiosity factor in place, should managed to better than its predecessors.

Mao’s Last Dancer

Box Office Prospects: $20 M
Premise: A Chinese ballet star defects to the U.S. where he falls in love with an American woman.
Opinion: How this ended up a summer release is beyond me. Not only can it not benefit from a year-end Oscar push, it’s not the kind of film that makes money in the summer months, even the doldrums of the late summer.

August 13-15

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Box Office Prospects: $150 M
Premise: Scott Pilgrim has found a girl he likes, but to earn her affections, he must defeat her seven evil exes in a video game battle royale where he and these villains are the video game.
Opinion: It’s an inventive concept and will definitely appeal to a wide array of video game players who also happen to be lapping up the ’80s pastiche like it’s water. Whether the end result is as corny and silly as I expect, it will no doubt prove suitably popular.

The Expendables

Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Premise: A group of aging mercenaries head to South America in an attempt to overthrown an Anti-American dictator.
Opinion: Hollowly patriotic and filled with more action than will probably be necessary, this film looks like every testosterone-driven film Sylvester Stallone has made since Rambo. It’s also a painful attempt to keep his flagging career afloat.

Eat Pray Love

Box Office Prospects: $70 M
Premise: A pregnant and happily married woman, files for divorce and goes on a world-spanning trip to discover who she is and what she wants to do with her life.
Opinion: Julia Roberts hasn’t had a box office hit in some time, but is certainly due for a revival. She’s appeared in a number of smaller films, as part of an ensemble or paired with an equally prominent male co-star, but this is her first solo gig since Mona Lisa Smile in 2003, which wasn’t exactly a staggering success ($64 M). The film itself doesn’t look too great, but could be a strong player against a male-dominated summer field.

Tales from Earthsea

Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Premise: The world is unraveling and a wandering wizard seeks to find a way to save the kingdom with the help of a young teen whose dark side may well mean both of their undoing.
Opinion: This is Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro’s first animated picture. Since Goro didn’t want to be like his father, but ended up there anyway, I question the potential quality of the film. Miyazaki is the only anime artist that I even like, so if Goro is going to to be the anti-Miyazaki, then I don’t want to see the film. And, without the name recognition (or even with the name recognition), the likelihood of a major success is minimal.

August 20-22

The Switch

Box Office Prospects: $80 M
Premise: After a middle-aged woman takes her life into her own hands by becoming artificially impregnated, her best friend must cope with his past crime against her when he replaced her purchased sperm with his own.
Opinion: Of all the people to put into this kind of film, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman look like they’ll make a great team. Although I’m sure the screenplay is fairly innocuous and the drama is played more broadly than the laughs, it could be a mild surprise at the waning summer box office.

Nanny McPhee Returns

Box Office Prospects: $60 M
Premise: An ugly old nanny with magical powers is called to service a small family with four children, two poor and two rich, who can’t seem to get along with each other and must work together if they want to help save their farm.
Opinion: Since earning a better-than-expected $47 M in 2006, this sequel hopes to build on the fondness for Emma Thompson’s character and develop a bigger audience this go-around after the film became hugely popular on DVD. It doesn’t look that great, but will easily appeal to the same demographic as previously, which should allow it some nice profit.

Takers

Box Office Prospects: $50 M
Premise: A $20 million dollar heist is put in jeopardy when a tough police detective seeks a way to stop the would-be robbers.
Opinion: I’ve had to look up the premise of this film three times now, it keeps slipping my mind. The title doesn’t help that any and if I’m having trouble remember (I’ve seen the trailer and written about it a couple of times), then what chance to regular moviegoers have of remembering what it’s about or that it’s even coming out?

Lottery Ticket

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: Having won a massive jackpot in the lottery, a young man living in the projects has to avoid everyone who wants to take his money from him before the lottery office after the weekend.
Opinion: Fairly common comedy with little promise for an in depth insight into living conditions in the projects. It should appeal to its target demographic, but does not have the strength or pedigree many other films targeting that audience has had.

August 27-29

Piranha 3-D

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: A 3D re-imagining of the ’80s cult classic about a school of flesh-eating piranha terrorizing the residents of a small community on Lake Victoria.
Opinion: This will appeal heavily to the horror fanbase, but after a solid opening, it will plummet like the rest. I can’t say that the film really looks that enjoyable. The campiness of the original doesn’t give me much hope for the remake.

Going the Distance

Box Office Prospects: $40 M
Premise: A story about the difficulties and hardships a couple faces when separated by hundreds of miles and forced into a long-distance relationship.
Opinion: The fiction debut of documentary director Nanette Burstein will hopefully build on the insights she gleaned from her work on The Kid Stays in the Picture and American Teen, but considering the discrepancies in themes between the two sets of work, I don’t think we should expect too much.

Happythankyoumoreplease

Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Premise: Young adults struggle against their own cynicism as they attempt to find love and happiness in a difficult world.
Opinion: Until I started writing this preview, I had heard nothing about the film. It sounds an awful lot like the style of Interviews with Hideous Men which suggests a mildly entertaining experience with forced insight and skin-deep perspective.

Centurion

Box Office Prospects: $15 M
Premise: A legion of Roman soldiers decimated in a surprise attack fight to survive behind enemy lines as they struggle to return home.
Opinion: With a relatively unknown cast in front of the camera and no strong advanced word, the chances of this film making a dent in the box office are incredibly minimal.

The Last Exorcism

Box Office Prospects: $10 M
Premise: A small-budget thriller about an evangelical minister who agrees to allow his final exorcism to be filmed by a documentary filmmaker.
Opinion: I’ve never heard of the film and unless there’s a massive media push, I doubt seriously that the film will do much business in its extremely niche-y genre.