Ever since Roy Scheider realized he needed a bigger boat back in Steven Spielberg's popcorn classic "Jaws," movie fans have stormed theaters around the world each summer expecting the best Hollywood has to offer. Though there are always a few critics that lament the coming of blockbuster season, the summer release schedule usually offers some of the most ambitious, most creative and most purely entertaining films of the year.
From franchise reboots like "Man of Steel" to highly anticipated sequels like "Star Trek Into Darkness," it's another summer filled with A-list casts, enormous budgets and blitzkrieg-style marketing tactics sure to help bring audiences pouring into the local multiplex. Here's a look at the 10 releases that have the biggest box office upside this summer.
1. "Man of Steel" (Warner Brothers) June 14:
Though Batman and Spider-Man have their own followings, and we now know how popular The Avengers are, it doesn't get much bigger than Superman. After the Brandon Routh/Bryan Singer version failed to live up to enormous expectations, Warner Brothers started from scratch with "Man of Steel" with the hopes of finally landing their new Superman franchise. Casting relative unknown Henry Cavill in the title role and bringing in Zack Snyder of "300" fame, "Man of Steel" looks to be headed in a completely different direction, which should appease the critics of "Superman Returns" at the very least.
Following his enormously successful "Dark Knight" trilogy, Christopher Nolan also lends his talents as a producer/advisor and Warner Brothers spared no expense on the cast, giving Superman fans hope that they'll get it right this time. Fans are also riled up about casting Michael Shannon as villain General Zod, a role the intense character actor should be able to turn into a worthy opponent for the superhero of superheroes. Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Russell Crowe as Superman's father Jor-El give a little star power as well, though we've seen time and again that you need more than a great cast to make a bona fide blockbuster. "Man of Steel" isn't as much of a guaranteed box office hit as some of the sequels hitting theaters this summer, but if it catches on with action fans, it could turn into a mega-franchise.
2. "Monsters University" (Disney) June 21:
We recently saw what can happen with a Pixar sequel, as "Toy Story 3" was a smash commercial and critical hit that gave Pixar its first billion-dollar release. Even "Cars 2," which has become the black sheep in a long line of respected Pixar films, was still a big international hit, making "Monsters University" the perfect storm for box office potential. "Monsters, Inc." was a huge success with family audiences back in 2001, and all the leads are back for the sequel, including Billy Crystal and John Goodman. After recently unveiling "Monsters, Inc." in 3D to set up the launch of the sequel, "Monsters University" is a slam dunk that is a just about a lock to be among the top grossing films of the year.
3. "Star Trek Into Darkness," (Paramount) May 16:
It took some skill to make "Star Trek" cool again, but that's exactly what director J.J. Abrams pulled off with a new franchise-starter just a few years ago. Critics loved it (95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and fans poured in to see a new origin story for Captain Kirk and the gang, helping it rack up a steady $257 million domestically. The only negative is that it struggled to catch on with international audiences, grossing only $127 million outside of the U.S. This time around, though, the hype in the U.S. will likely translate to some big box office dollars - both domestically and abroad - and "Star Trek Into Darkness" should finish with a worldwide total much higher than the $385 million of its predecessor. If Abrams turns out another critical gem to go along with the eager anticipation from its fan base, "Star Trek Into Darkness" could be huge.
4. "The Lone Ranger," (Disney) July 3:
Another franchise-hopeful this summer is "The Lone Ranger," which reunites Johnny Depp and "Pirates of the Caribbean" director Gore Verbinski. But unlike the more traditional superheroes, "The Lone Ranger" is much more of a risk, and we'll have to see if Depp's antics can help make a connection with audiences. With a production budget that reportedly settled around $250 million, commercial expectations are nothing short of enormous, though a cushy July 3rd release should help bring in some big holiday crowds.
5. "Pacific Rim," (Warner Brothers) July 12:
In a summer as packed with sequels as ever, "Pacific Rim" gives audiences longing for some originality a little bit of hope. Guillermo Del Toro ditched directing "The Hobbit" trilogy so he could focus on "Pacific Rim," a sci-fi fantasy revolving around giant robots fending off aliens that want to destroy the planet. As Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay have proven time and again, summer audiences never tire of seeing the world hang in the balance, and adding both robots and aliens into the fold isn't exactly going to hurt its commercial potential. Del Toro fans are also intrigued with the cast, with Charlie Day and Idris Elba sliding into main roles despite being pretty far from action superstars. Far from a guarantee, "Pacific Rim" has as much commercial potential as any movie this summer that isn't a sequel or a do-over.
6. "Iron Man 3," (Disney) May 2:
Even if "Iron Man 2" was a bit of a letdown after the surprisingly well-made original, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is still an intensely popular superhero and distributor Disney gets to ride the international success of "The Avengers." "Iron Man 3" will need to have some positive word-of-mouth to come close to the numbers "The Avengers" put up, though the word is out in foreign markets, and it should pick up a very large worldwide audience.
7. "World War Z," (Paramount) June 21:
After doing mostly voice-over work and art house flicks since "Inglourious Basterds," Brad Pitt is back with a big-budget sci-fi action release that will test his status as one of Hollywood's biggest box office draws. In "World War Z," Pitt plays a United Nations employee on a mission to stop zombies from toppling governments and bringing about the apocalypse, giving it the type of theme that has frequently brought in summer dollars. Director Marc Forster ("Monster's Ball," "Quantum of Solace") hasn't made too much of a splash with action audiences as of yet, but a crowd-pleasing zombie flick starring Pitt could change that in a heartbeat. Thanks to Pitt's status and the popularity of the novel it's based on, "World War Z" has been intently followed by potential fans since pre-production, which will likely make it one of the summer's biggest hits or biggest disappointments.
8. "Elysium," (TriStar) Aug. 9:
Following up the surprise hit "District 9," one of the most lucrative and critically favored releases of the summer of 2009, director Neill Blomkamp is back with another sci-fi adventure, only this time he has a cast headlined by Matt Damon instead of unknowns. "Elysium" follows the story of a polarized future Earth, where the super wealthy live on a space station and everyone else fights for the scraps down below. Judging by the realism Blomkamp brought to the story of "District 9," audiences should be able to expect a change-up following the mega-blockbusters that will be rolling through theaters in May, June and July. "Elysium" will have to compete for audiences with "300: Rise of an Empire," but some good reviews and audience buzz could make it a big hit to cap the summer.
9. "After Earth," (Sony/Columbia) May 31:
OK, so M. Night Shyamalan did make "The Last Airbender," but all will be forgiven if "After Earth" clicks with action audiences. Even though Shyamalan's popularity has waned a bit since the days of "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs," every one of his releases besides "Lady in the Water" has found a very large international audience - even "The Village," "The Happening" and "The Last Airbender." This time around, Shyamalan is taking on sci-fi once again with Will Smith and his son Jaden co-starring in a tale that takes place 1,000 years after the Earth's demise. 10. "The Wolverine," (Fox) July 26:
There's a lot of work to do to repair the damage caused by "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," but the cinema was built for second chances. With Hugh Jackman stepping back into the title role, "The Wolverine" gives the famed X-Men character a new start that he badly needs, though we'll see if it has the ability to compete with some of the other big summer releases.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.