Sequels, remakes, comic-book adaptions battle at the box-office

This means war.

The first salvo in this summer's Battle of the Box Office arrived last week, with "Thor" leading the charge.

Next weekend, Capt. Jack Sparrow sets sail once again in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," leading an armada of sequels, remakes, comic-book adaptations and other potential crowd-pleasers fighting for multiplex supremacy. Las Vegas doesn't have a showcase role in any of this summer's big guns, although the "Hangover" gang is back in Bangkok; the "Fright Night" remake also filmed briefly at the Rio.

Some high-profile indies (including Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," which opened the Cannes film festival Wednesday) also may venture into the fray.

But summer belongs to the blockbusters -- and the blockbuster wannabes.

The combat continues through Labor Day, as studios launch wave upon wave of big-budget, high-concept contenders -- many in 3-D -- in an effort to capture our box-office dollars, and (if we're lucky) our affections.

To help you plan your attack strategy this summer, here's a guide to the season's top releases. (Keep in mind that some release dates may change -- and some of these movies may never make it to Las Vegas theaters at all.)

So don your flak jackets, arm yourself at the snack bar and prepare for battle -- and here's hoping Hollywood scores more than a few direct hits this summer.

MAY 20

Big gun: "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides"

Capts. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) have new crewmates on their fourth cinematic voyage: the dread pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his feisty daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz).

Sneak attack: In the documentary "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," director Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") explores movie branding, advertising and product placement -- in a movie financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.

MAY 26

Big gun: "The Hangover Part II"

You can take the guys out of Vegas, but you can't take Vegas out of Phil, Stu and Alan (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis), who travel to Bangkok for Stu's wedding -- and wind up in another can't-remember-a-thing misadventure.

Sneak attack: Another adventurous team reunites in "Kung Fu Panda 2" -- the animated animals (voiced by, among others, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan) who also happen to be martial arts masters.

JUNE 3

Big gun: "X-Men: First Class"

Think prequel, not sequel, as this comic-book adventure focuses on the 1963 beginnings of a new school for those with superhuman powers; James McAvoy plays school founder Charles Xavier (the future Professor X), while Michael Fassbender is his best friend and ultimate nemesis, Eric Lensherr -- alias Magneto.

JUNE 10

Big gun: "Super 8"

In the summer of '79, small-town friends witness a mysterious train crash -- and investigate the strange happenings that follow in writer-director J.J. Abrams' sci-fi adventure featuring Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka and Kyle Chandler.

Sneak attack: In "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer," the title third-grader (Jordana Beatty) has big plans in this adaptation of Megan McDonald's books featuring Heather Graham as Aunt Opal.

JUNE 17

Big gun: "Green Lantern"

Another comic-book hero hits the screen: test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds), who finds himself in possession of a mystical ring and otherworldly powers. Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong co-star for director Martin Campbell ("Casino Royale," "The Mask of Zorro").

Sneak attack: "Mr. Popper's Penguins" casts Jim Carrey as the businessman who inherits the anarchic Antarctic birds. And Brad Pitt and Sean Penn star for visionary director Terence Malick ("The Thin Red Line") in the loss-of-innocence drama "The Tree of Life."

JUNE 24

Big gun: "Cars 2"

Pixar Animation revs up another sequel as Lightning McQueen hits the international racing circuit, encountering race-car rivals -- and four-wheeled spies. Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy and Michael Caine lead the vocal cast.

Sneak attack: "Bad Teacher," a foul-mouthed junior high instructor (Cameron Diaz), tries to woo a colleague in a comedy co-starring Justin Timberlake and Jason Segal.

JULY 1

Big gun: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

In the third Autobots-vs.-Decepticons outing, a spacecraft hidden on the moon plays a major role -- along with returnees Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson.

Sneak attack: Tom Hanks (who also directs) reunites with "Charlie Wilson's War" co-star Julia Roberts for "Larry Crowne," about an unemployment victim who goes back to college. And three vacationing friends (Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy) find themselves whisked to "Monte Carlo" when one is mistaken for a British heiress.

JULY 8

Big gun: "Horrible Bosses"

Frustrated at work, three friends (Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis) conspire to bump off the employers (Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey) making their lives miserable. (Yes, it's a comedy.)

Sneak attack: Kevin James goes from mall cop to "Zookeeper" as his animal charges break their code of silence to help him with romance.

JULY 15

Big gun: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"

The multiple-movie saga of boy wizard Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) concludes with a final face-off against the villainous Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

Sneak attack: "Winnie the Pooh" and friends search for the missing Christopher Robin in a new, hand-animated trip to the Hundred Acre Wood.

JULY 22

Big gun: "Captain America: The First Avenger"

Yet another comic-book hero joins the battle: Steve Rogers ("Fantastic Four's" Chris Evans), who volunteers for a secret research project when he's deemed unfit for World War II service and becomes a star-spangled supersoldier. Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci and Dominic Cooper (as Iron Man's dad Howard Stark) co-star.

Sneak attack: Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake play "Friends With Benefits" in a raunchy comedy.

JULY 29

Big gun: "Cowboys & Aliens"

James Bond and Indiana Jones (or, more accurately, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford) saddle up for this sci-fi Western about a gunslinger, abducted by aliens, who leads the shootout against them.

Sneak attack: A suburban couple (Steve Carell, Julianne Moore) splits in "Crazy, Stupid, Love." Colin Farrell plays "The Devil's Double" -- a man forced to impersonate Saddam Hussein's son. And "The Smurfs" hit the big screen, and the Big Apple, in a live-action/animated romp featuring Neil Patrick Harris .

AUG. 5

Big gun: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"

In contemporary San Francisco, genetic engineering experiments lead to the development of intelligence in apes in this prequel featuring James Franco, Freida Pinto, Andy Serkis and Brian Cox.

Sneak attack: "The Change-Up" teams Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds for a comedy about a married guy who switches bodies with his best friend to woo a co-worker.

AUG. 12

Big gun: "The Help"

Kathryn Stockett's novel of racially divided 1960s Mississippi inspires this adaptation, with Emma Stone as the writer who shakes up her small town when she interviews her best friend's housekeeper (Viola Davis).

Sneak attack: Two fledgling crooks (Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari) kidnap a pizza delivery guy (Jesse Eisenberg) and force him to rob a bank in "30 Minutes or Less." There's still no way to cheat Death, as survivors of a suspension-bridge collapse discover in "Final Destination 5." And gleeful Gleeks will celebrate "Glee Live! In Concert! In 3D!"

AUG. 19

Big gun: "Conan the Barbarian"

"Game of Thrones' " Jason Momoa flexes his pecs, taking over Arnold Schwarzenegger's star-making role as the Cimmerian strongman on a quest to avenge his murdered father.

Sneak attack: A teen (Anton Yelchin) enlists a TV host (David Tennant) to help him catch the vampire next door (Colin Farrell) in a "Fright Night" remake. College classmates (Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess) revisit their grad-night rendezvous annually in "One Day." And a mom (Jessica Alba) returns to the spy game in "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World."

AUG. 26

Big gun: "Our Idiot Brother"

After he's released from jail, a genial stoner (Paul Rudd) disrupts the lives of his three sisters (Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer) in a comedy co-starring Steve Coogan, Rashida Jones and Hugh Dancy.

Sneak attack: NASA cancels a 1970 moon mission in the make-believe-it's-real chiller "Apollo 18." And a young girl (Bailee Madison) sent to live with her father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) discovers eerie creatures in "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."

AUG. 31

Big gun: "The Debt" (Focus)

This espionage thriller jumps between the '60s and the '90s as retired Israeli agents (Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson) ponder a past mission to capture a Nazi war criminal.

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.