This year we have the usual sequels (Hellboy 2, The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones) a few originals (Wall-E, Hancock, The Strangers, The Happening, Kung Fu Panda) and debut franchise material based on other sources (Speed Racer, Iron Man, Wanted) but look how many comedies there are on the way. From May to June we have: You don't mess with the Zohan, The Love Guru, Step Brothers, Tropic Thunder and the sure to be classic Pineapple Express. Last year I think we had two. This is probably an indication that right now is the best time for film comedy since the early 1980's when Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi were all on the scene.

Anyway on with the preview. This year is more exciting than most recent years. Don't let yourself get too hyped though as The Phantom Menace syndrome will no doubt kick in after seeing a few of these.

May

Iron Man: Summer starts off as it means to go on with a big budget comic book adaptation. This one is the first solo production from Marvel studios and is directed by Jon Favreau. Robert Downey Jr stars as weapons designer Tony Stark who when captured by terrorists builds an Iron battle suit to break himself out, when back in the real world he develops the technology into the Iron Man exo-skeleton which he uses to fight the forces of evil. This attracts the attention of his ruthless business rival Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges). The trailers have been doing the rounds for a while now and anticipation is at fever pitch. Even though Iron Man is one the lesser known of Marvel's characters the trailer as well as the pedigree of the cast should garner a decent opening weekend. Early reports suggest though the film is good,the majority of the action you can see in the trailer. As the first big effects extravaganza out if the gate it has a good chance of being the one to beat in May. Released: Us and UK - 2nd May.

Predicted worldwide box office: $400 million

Speed Racer: The Waschowski brothers first film since the end of The Matrix trilogy is based on the Japanese cartoon about young racing fanatic Speed who is a star on the racing circuit in his superpowered Mach 5. Speed is pitted against the ruthless owner of Royalton Industries who are fixing races. With the help of the mysterious Racer X he must win the Crucible, a cross country race which took the life of his older brother. Much as I hate to admit it, I'm excited about seeing this movie, especially now its in Imax! If it was in 3-d then that might help its chances at the box office as I seriously cant see it doing that well. Problem is its been so faithful that I think it may have hurt its chances and its target audience are thinking 'What the F**k?'. Expect audiences to show up because of the acid trip visuals and then the numbers will sharply drop off. Its a shame as I think this will be a genuinely fun film. The trailers have it all: ninjas, monkeys, cars, weapons and Christina Ricci. We'll see. Released: US and UK- 9th May.

Predicted worldwide box office: $130 million

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Many enjoyed The Lion the witch and the Wardrobe in 2005, it made a ton of cash. many felt it was lacking something that held it back from Rings style greatness. The next chapter in the saga follows the Pevensie children as they return to Narnia where a thousand years have passed since they left. They discover that an evil King has taken over and must join with Aslan etc to overthrow him. I cant say that I am familiar with the second book in the saga but it sounds identical to the first story almost. The trailer looks promising but it remains to be seen whether it has a darker tone and if the actors playing the kids have shaken off their British drama school aura that prevented them from being believable in the first movie. Will no doubt make a huge amount of money as the first true family movie of the season. Released: US- 16th May, UK-26th June.

Predicted worldwide box office: $800 million

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: So we come to the sure thing of the summer, or is it? anyone else feel slightly disappointed by what they have seen so far? anyone remember how they felt after seeing The Phantom Menace? The plot for this one is still a mystery but it may well concern the ark of the covenant again and has the Russians as the villains instead of the Nazi's. Also features many new characters including support from Shia Lebouef and Ray Winstone. Now there will supposedly be no screenings until about two days prior to release, could this be a sign of trouble? I mean in the trailer Harrison Ford throws himself around like a fella half his age but its just I don't know,it is lacking something. I hope I am wrong and we get a truly kick ass film like the ones we all grew up with. Released: US and UK - 22nd May.

Predicted worldwide box office: $600 million

The Strangers: This small horror flick starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman will no doubt get lost in amongst the films above but it has an outside chance in appealing to the horror fan who will no doubt be sick of the popcorn thrills offered by the big 4 in May. Worryingly The Strangers has been moved around the release schedules constantly since last summer despite having a chilling trailer and cool poster campaign. The plot concerns a young couple who are attacked by people in masks when they stay at a house in the countryside after a wedding reception. A bit like the French thriller Them but without the feral children. This could be the breakout horror hit of the summer or could disappear into obscurity. Released: US-30th May, UK-TBC.

 Predicted worldwide box office: $80 million

 June

You Don't Mess with the Zohan: Adam Sandler's annual summer comedy release this year revolves around a Mossad agent who fakes his own death and moves to New York to become a hairstylist, unfortunately his old life catches up with him. The trailer looks promising with Borat style humor and the film is co-written by Judd Apatow. Adam Sandler comedies are fairly hit and miss, for every Click or Mr Deeds there is a Longest Yard or Chuck and Larry. This looks to be a quality comedy though and should hit big in early June when it comes out. Released: US-6th June, UK- 1st August.

Predicted worldwide box office: $170 million

Kung Fu Panda: Dreamworks annual animated movie will hopefully not be as soulless as Shark Tale or Shrek 3 and actually kick ass. This one concerns a lazy panda (voiced by Jack Black) who must become a kung fu master to defeat an evil snow leopard threatening his valley. Early reports have been very positive and this could become a HUGE hit depending on whether or not parents decide to wait and take their kids to see Wall-E. The concept is solid enough and it also features the voices of Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and Angelina Jolie. Early reports have labeled it 'The Kill Bill of animation'.Released: US-6th June, UK-4th July.

Predicted worldwide box office: $450 million

The Happening: M.Night Shyamalan's new movie is shrouded in mystery, is it about a plague of suicides? or is it about killer plants? Its still a mystery but the trailer is mysterious enough to get bums on seats. Mark Wahlberg stars as a teacher who must protect his family from whatever it is that's causing all the mischief. I have high hopes for this one, Lady in the Water sucked but I'm willing to give Shyamalan the benefit of the doubt. Remember what a surprise it was when you first saw Unbreakable and Signs? Well this time Shyamalan is contractually obliged to deliver an R Rated movie! What we he come up with no that he is able to show extreme violence?.It will be interesting to see what comes out on top between this and The Incredible Hulk. Released: US and UK- 13th June.

Predicted worldwide box office: $260 million

The Incredible Hulk: The Hulk was something of a disappointment to most fans when released in 2003. It had a tone which was a bit too serious for most people wanting a fun summer blockbuster. This re-boot/sequel looks to have a more action driven storyline and seems more influenced by the old TV series than the comic. Bruce Banner continues to look for a cure to his rage driven alter ago and must avoid the military created monster The Abomination. Louis Letterrier directs from a script which was re-written by star Edward Norton. News about this movie has trickled out very slowly and the trailer was only recently seen and seems like a fun summer flick with better special effects than the 2003 version. This is still a bit of an unknown quantity as no-one seems to have seen it yet and director Letterrier has made good flicks (Unleashed, The Transporter) and absolute crap (Transporter 2). This could go either way and a recent public row between Norton and Marvel studios over the final cut isn't exactly getting the fanboys enthusiasm at peak levels. Robert Downey Jr appears in the film briefly as Tony Stark, ooh crossover.Released: US and UK- 13th June.

Predicted worldwide box office: $180 million

The Love Guru: Mike Myers latest sees him play an Indian guru who helps people with their relationship problems.The story concerns his latest client, an NHL superstar who has broken up with his girlfriend played by Jessica Alba. Its been a while since Myers has attempted a different character outside of Austin Powers and the trailer for this shows that he may well be on to another winner with his familiar dialogue and sight gags. Justin Timberlake also features and supposedly proves himself a capable comic actor. Could this be another Austin Powers? or another Cat in the hat? Released: US-20th June, UK-1st August.

Predicted worldwide box office:$380 million

Get Smart: Based on the old 60's spoof spy series this has Steve Carell playing Agent Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as his partner Agent 99 who work for CONTROL, together they battle the terrorist organization KAOS . Also features The Rock and Hiro from Heroes in supporting roles. The trailer looks promising with a good mixture of slapstick and action. The director is Peter Segal who made the rubbish Nutty Professor 2 and The Longest Yard but also made the pretty darn funny Tommy Boy so lets hope this is more like the latter. Early reports have suggested that this is definitely a fun return to form for Carell after the disappointment of Evan Almighty. Released: US-20th June, UK- 11th July.

Predicted worldwide box office: $110 million

Wanted:  Now that I have gotten over my disappointment that this is nothing like the Mark Millar comic, which lets face it was seriously too cool for Hollywood anyway, I am kind of looking forward to this as a summer Matrix clone. Angelina Jolie plays Fox (not much of a stretch) a deadly assassin who introduces Wesley (James MCavoy) into a criminal fraternity so that he can become the worlds most skilled assassin. My hype levels for this are based purely on the fact that Timur Bekambetov is directing and should he be allowed the relative freedom he enjoyed on the Night/Daywatch films we could be in for a visual treat. The fact that this was bumped from an April release to compete in June with the other big releases may well be an indication that it is in fact GOOD. Goes head to head with Wall-E though, which is a battle it will lose. Released: US and UK- 27th June.

Predicted worldwide box office: $140 million

Wall-E: Pixar's latest is perhaps their most daring project yet. Wall-E is set far in the future when lazy overweight humans have left the Earth as it is overrun with rubbish. Waste disposal robot Wall-E stays behind to clear up and is shocked into action when he meets EVE a robot sent back by the humans. Wall-E then realizes he has stumbled across the key to the planets future. If this isn't the biggest film this summer I will eat my laptop. The film looks visually stunning as well as having a huge heart and apparently has very little dialogue apart from bleeps and other electronic sounds supplied by R2-D2 himself, Ben Burtt. This could well become this generations E.T. Released: US-27th June, UK-18th July.

Predicted worldwide box office: $980 million

July

Hancock: This is Will Smith's big early July release for 2008 and see's him play the titular Superhero who happens to be a drunk and causes a huge amount of carnage as he goes about saving people and fighting crime. The public decides it has had enough and Hancock enlists the help of a publicist (Jason Bateman)to improve the publics perception of him and falls in love with his wife (Charlize Theron). Its a top notch premise and sounds like a sure fire hit except that the test screening's have gone down like a lead balloon with people saying the romance aspect just doesn't work. Director Peter Berg has made some good movies but could well be out of his depth with a huge summer blockbuster starring the worlds most popular actor. Recently the studio have released an impressive new trailer which emphasizes the action over the romance and may well get people in the theatre. This could be Smith's biggest flop since Wild Wild West but there again I am Legend made a lot of money despite being very average. Released: US and UK- 2nd July.

Predicted worldwide box office: $230 million

Hellboy 2:The Golden Army: Perhaps the film I'm most excited about after The Dark Knight, Hellboy 2 sees the magical creatures that exist in the shadows of our world decide they have had enough and decide they want to rule the earth. All that stands in the way is the Bureau for Paranormal Research and defense. The decision to release this in July is perhaps the biggest gamble by a studio for some time.When the first Hellboy came out in April 2004 it was a moderate hit but found its true audience on DVD, hence the follow up. The trailer is very impressive, Guillermo Del Toro has somehow managed to make a film that looks more expensive than the first movie for half the budget with more creatures and more big ass guns. People will probably show up based on the cool trailer and the fact the Del Toro's last movie was an Oscar winner and his next is The Hobbit. Lest we forget that when Del Toro last made a sequel (Blade 2) it exceeded the first movie in every way. Released: US-11th July, UK - 22nd August.

Predicted worldwide box office: $125 million

The Dark Knight: The BIG one for July is the one that cannot possibly live up to the current hype and expectation all around it. From the Internet viral marketing campaign to the much publicized untimely death of Heath Ledger and his supposedly career best performance as the Joker. The plot is still fairly secret but we know that it follows after Batman Begins and tracks the Jokers reign of terror and Harvey Dent's emergence as Gotham district attorney which leads to his creation as Two-Face. The Scarecrow also features again and a while back there was a rumor that Anthony Michael Hall was cast as The Riddler but that was probably bollocks. This will not fail unless people decide they can't be bothered to sit through a rumored near three hour long superhero movie. Batman Begins was slow to make its cash and became a hit mainly due to word of mouth, due to its subsequent success people will no doubt turn up in droves. I will be taking a day off to see this one in IMAX format with portions filmed in 3D, oh yes. Released: US- 18th July, UK- 25th July.

Predicted worldwide box office: $420 million

Step Brothers: Will Ferrell and John C.Reilly star as two 40 year old single men who must learn to live together when their parents get hitched. Cue much arguing over who gets the top bunk and the two men trying to outdo each other in their parents affections. This is directed by Adam Mckay who made Ferrell's best movies Anchorman and Talladega Nights and is another product of Judd Apatow's comedy factory. This could do great business when it comes out in July as the month seems to have a bit of a lack of mainstream comedy fare. Released: US-25th July, UK- 22nd August.

Predicted worldwide box office: $160 million

X-Files 2 - I Want to Believe: Mulder and Scully return in their second big screen outing, ten years since the first one in Summer 98. The story is still something of a mystery but its supposed to be more along the lines of the monster of the week type story that the TV series did so well in its early years rather than the convoluted alien conspiracy storylines. Now I am looking forward to this and have been watching old episodes since it was announced. It will be great to see our favorite FBI agents back on the screen, but will the general public feel the same or are their memories of the dire last two seasons of the series still too fresh in their minds.Also as this comes out around the same time as The Dark Knight its going to be battle of the geek films, no doubt the hardcore will shell out for both though,we will see. I hope its a success so that we get more big screen outings as according to the last episode of the series; the aliens finally invade in 2012. That's only four years away folks. Released: US- 25th July, UK-1st August.

Predicted worldwide box office: $200 million

August

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Does the world really need another Mummy film? The first one is good fun and the second was okay but ruined by some shoddy rushed special effects. This time around Stephen Sommers has jumped ship to make next summers GI Joe and been replaced by fellow hack Rob Cohen who made equally fun but silly blockbusters XXX and Stealth. The plot follows adventurer Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his now grown son Alex in China as they unearth the spirit of cursed Chinese Emperor Qin (Jet Li) which leads to a deadly outbreak of CGI creatures and sand. Could be good fun, could be big elastic pants. Released: US-1st August, UK-8th August.

Predicted worldwide box office: $300 million

Pineapple Express: Never in my life do I recall a movie that has tested so well at test screenings and had nothing but good things said about it on the web prior to its release. With that in mind its bound to be a letdown on first viewing. Seth Rogen and James Franco star as a couple of stoners who are fans of the titular brand of weed. They must go on the run when they witness a mob hit and the joint left at the scene leads the mobsters to Franco's dealer character. Now so far so Dude where's my gun? but the film is from the Judd Apatow stable (does anyone else produce comedies these days?)and is directed by arthouse vet David Gordon Green. A similar strategy worked well for Superbad last summer. The trailer is awesome and the film is closer in tone to True Romance than Knocked Up according to early reviews. Could be a huge hit or could become a cult item. Released: Us-8th August, UK-12th September.

Predicted worldwide box office: $150 million

Tropic Thunder: Another big August comedy that's had unbelievably good word of mouth. Tropic Thunder has been a pet project of director and star Ben Stiller for some time. Stiller joins Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black as a group of actors who are forced to become the heroes they are portraying whilst filming a big-budget war movie. The plot sounds like it could be awful but not so according to early reports, Stiller has made a film that works as a comedy as well as a satire taking several pot-shots at Hollywood in the process. Tom Cruise also has a hilarious cameo and Steve Coogan has a break out performance as a director. Released: US-15th August, UK-19th September.

Predicted worldwide box office: $140 million

Bangkok Dangerous: Oxide and Danny Pang remake their own original Thai language thriller in English with Nicolas Cage but keep the original title, what? It seems unnecessary to slate Nic Cage these days as I think the projects he picks speak for themselves. The plot follows a mute hitman who falls in love with a woman and bonds with an errand boy in Bangkok. This will no doubt be crap and not the comeback hit that Cage clearly needs. Please Mr Cage give the Coen brothers or Tarantino a call and get a good project going.Released: US- 22nd August, UK-TBC.

Predicted worldwide box office: $50 million

Babylon A.D: Curious this one, originally touted as Vin Diesel's big action comeback the release date was pushed back from early in the year to the last weekend of August where studio's traditionally dump their duds. Also rumors have circulated that director Mathieu Kasovitz has been in conflict over the final cut with the studio. The US may now get a 90 minute version whilst in Europe we may get a two hour version. The plot concerns the mission of a former military hardass to get a woman from Russia to China as she is the host of an organism a cult wants to become a genetically modified messiah.I hope this is the one that puts Diesel back on top as he got a lot of flack for the overblown Chronicles of Riddick but the guy has genuine presence on screen and there is a reason he was so hyped after Pitch Black. I am intrigued....Released: US and UK- 29th August.

Predicted worldwide box office: $70 million