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| Courtesy of DreamWorks |
 Coming soon: From left, Cinderella, voiced by Amy Sedaris; Snow White, voiced by Amy Poehler; Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz; Rapunzel, voiced by Maya Rudolph; and Sleeping Beauty, voiced by Cheri Oteri, pose in a scene from "Shrek the Third." |
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LOS ANGELES - There are big years for movies, and there are BIG years. Then there's 2007, which has some Hollywood types thinking a record box-office year may be at hand.
The month of May alone has dollar signs dancing in studio executives' heads as the third installments to three of the all-time biggest movie franchises hit theaters within a three-week span.
First up, "Spider-Man 3," with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst returning as the young superhero and his dreamgirl. Next comes "Shrek the Third," with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas back as mouthpieces of the lovable animated fairy-tale kooks. Then there's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," with Johnny Depp continuing the cliffhanger left from last summer's blockbuster.
Two other heavyweights follow soon after: the animated "Ratatouille," a comedy about a gourmet rodent from the Disney-Pixar partnership; and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint going back to wizardry school in the fantasy series' fifth chapter.
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| AP Photo/Disney Enterprises, Peter Mountain |
| This promotional photo released by Disney Enterprises shows actors, from left, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in a scene from the movie "Pirates Of The Caribbean: At Worlds End,"scheduled for release in summer 2007. |
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If they matched the business their predecessors have done, those five films alone would account for nearly 20 percent of the $9.4 billion haul that all movies rang up domestically last year.
The schedule is so loaded that even the sequels "Ocean's Thirteen," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," and "Rush Hour 3" would make for an impressive summer. Plus, there's an animated lineup that includes a big-screen take on "The Simpsons."
Winter and spring have some intriguing movie prospects, including comedies from Eddie Murphy ("Norbit") and Will Ferrell ("Blades of Glory"), a dramatic turn from Adam Sandler ("Reign Over Me"), and thrillers featuring Hilary Swank ("The Reaping") and Sandra Bullock ("Premonition").
The fall and holiday season presents such highlights as Will Smith in the apocalyptic tale "I Am Legend," Nicolas Cage in the sequel "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," Nicole Kidman in the fantasy "The Golden Compass," Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in the crime saga "American Gangster" and the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger in the animated comedy "Bee Movie."
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| AP Photo/Warner Bros., Murray Close |
| This undated promotional photo released by Warner Bros. shows actor Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," slated for release in summer 2007. |
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But as usual, the real heavy hitters are crowded into summer. Here's a look at what's up with summer's key blockbusters in waiting:
"Shrek the Third" - All a hideous ogre wants is to settle down in the swamp with his not-so-beautiful bride. But Myers' Shrek finds himself drafted into the family business after his kingly father-in-law expires and the ogre faces the prospect of ruling the land in his stead.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" - When we last saw rascally buccaneer Jack Sparrow (Depp) in "Dead Man's Chest," Davy Jones had hauled him to a watery hell. Jack's pals (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley) joined their villainous rival (Geoffrey Rush) to begin a quest to retrieve him.
"Spider-Man 3" - Maguire's bright-eyed Peter and Spidey also pick up where they left off in the last film. Peter's finally hooked up with girl-next-door Mary Jane (Dunst), managing to juggle his photography job, schoolwork, his love life and the superhero gig. But after he gains fresh powers when his blue-and-red Spider-Man costume turns black, Peter's dark side asserts itself, leaving him caught in an inner struggle just as two new villains (Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace) turn up.
