Sequels, prequels, and remakes, oh my!

The first four months of 2009 have not been a banner time for Hollywood. The fact that the likes of Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes To Jail and Hotel For Dogs are among the top 10 box office performers thus far is a testament to that statement.

Business is about to pick up however, as an onslaught of big budget movies featuring super heroes, aliens and dinosaurs is headed to your local movie theatre.

Here is a look at the movies that you can expect to be hearing the most about between now and September. Please note that most of these films will be featured as part of the FSU's Toonie Tuesday series in partnership with Rainbow Cinemas. You can purchase tickets for these films for the discount prices of $2 for students, and $4 for guests. Where applicable, the Tuesday showing date has been listed (tickets go on sale the day before each showing at the Biz Booth).

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Released May 1; available as a Toonie Tuesday selection on May 12) - The first three installments of this franchise were well received, but some complained that there were just too many characters to keep track of. So this one focuses solely on the back story of everybody's favourite mutton chop sporting mutant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). This one should benefit from being the summer's first big release… hey, when did summer start to begin on May 1st. It grossed big bucks on it's opening weekend, but don't expect this one to reach the lofty heights of last year's super hero fare The Dark Knight or even Iron Man.

Star Trek (Released May 8; available as a Toonie Tuesday selection on May 19) — On May 8th, 2009, Trekkies around the globe will boldly go where they have never gone before — outside of their parent's basement on a Friday night. It is a date that has been penciled in on their calendars for a very long time. In fact it is probably the only date penciled in on those calendars. “Lost” creator J.J Abrams is behind this prequel, which gives us a look at younger versions of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. Fans of Leonard Nimoy can take solace in the fact that he will be appearing in the film as an older version of Spock.

Angels and Demons (Released May 15; available as a Toonie Tuesday selection on May 26) — Tom Hanks stars in this sequel to his all-time most boring film, The Da Vinci Code. This time around Ewan McGregor joins the cast, which hopefully will liven things up a bit. It's a crowded summer movie field this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if this religious thriller came up a bit short in the collection plate.

Terminator Salvation (Released May 22nd; available as a Toonie Tuesday selection on June 2) — The fourth installment of the Terminator saga will be the first without Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not sure if he was offered a part in the film, if so, he would have been wise to take it, and use his salary to pay off some of California's crippling debt. Christian Bale takes on the role of John Connor, the leader of a group of nuclear holocaust survivors who must wage war in the battle against the machines. This could very well become the highest grossing of the Terminator films.

Up (Released May 29) — If there is one thing I know, it's that kids can't get enough of Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer. So when you team their voice talents up with the talented folks at Pixar, you've got yourself a sure fire hit. Up tells the tale of a retired balloon salesman who travels around the world in a house attached to, you guessed it, a bunch of balloons!

The Hangover (Released June 5; available as a Toonie Tuesday selection on June 23) - This comedy, from the director of Old School, could be the sleeper hit of the summer. Three groomsmen take their soon to be married friend for a wild time in Las Vegas. They wake up from their drunken shenanigans joined by a six month old baby and a tiger, but are unable to locate the groom. Ed Helms (best known as Andrew Bernard of “The Office”) stars, and the film features a cameo by Mike Tyson that looks so fantastic, you're bound to forget that he is a spouse abusing, cannibalistic rapist and fall in love with him all over again.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Released June 24; available as a Toonie Tuesday selection on July 7) — The first Transformers film was a huge hit, although some thought that it offered less than meets the eye. This one should offer more of the same - stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox return, accompanied by loads of robots and explosions. It should rake in as much money at the box office as Mel Gibson's wife will end up with in divorce court.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Released July 15) — These Harry Potter films are basically a license to print money. This sixth installment will see plenty of magic wands being waved in the direction of goblins and ferries…okay, I've never seen a Harry Potter film, so that description is probably not accurate. But if I were a betting man (and according to the two hired goons who broke my kneecaps recently, I indeed am), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be the summer's biggest hit.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Released August 7) - After nearly 40 years, the iconic G.I. Joe brand finally makes it to the big screen. All the major characters will be featured — Hawk (Dvennis Quaid), Duke, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander, Destro, The Baroness (Sienna Miller) and more. There are a lot of expectations for this one, especially from children of the 1980s. Will it prove to be more satisfying than 2007's Transformers film? We will soon know. And knowing is half the battle.

This is just a small sampling of the summer's releases. There are plenty of other films such as Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Bruno (starring Sacha Baron Cohen), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and the Will Ferrell film Land of the Lost that should all be massive hits. Of course they each also have the potential to unseat the swine flu for the title of the summer's biggest disaster.

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