With the summer movie season kicking off this weekend with the anticipated release of Iron Man 3, I thought I’d run down the lineup for each weekend’s major releases and predict how well they will do domestically.

May

May 3: Iron Man 3

The first blockbuster of the summer is the final chapter in Marvel’s Iron Man franchise. Starring Robert Downey Jr., it hopes to recapture what made the original Iron Man such a marvel (pun intended), after the somewhat disappointing second outing. Tracking looks good, with the film already dominating worldwide markets, even beating the record previously set by Marvel’s The Avengers the same time last year. Although The Avengers set the record in the U.S. for opening weekend, Iron Man 3 doesn’t hold the same power, and I would set it at around a $150-$175 million opening weekend, for a domestic total of north of $350 million. This would become the summer’s biggest hit.

May 10: The Great Gatsby

The second weekend of May is much quieter, although still with a smaller anticipated hit, Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I would expect Iron Man 3 to top it this weekend, with a second weekend of around $60 million. Not all hope is lost for Gatsby, however, and with stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, as well as a big fan base for the classic novel, it should still perform well (the film was delayed from its previous release date of Dec. 25 last year, to open up for Academy Award season). I would place Gatsby at around a $40 million opening, and closing at $120-$130 million.

May 17: Star Trek Into Darkness

My most anticipated movie of the summer goes to J.J. Abrams’s successor to the wildly popular reboot of the Star Trek franchise. The

2009 hit went on to achieve over $250 million domestically, and the sequel looks to do the same, if not better. Marketing is doing well, with it being pitched as a sequel to end all sequels, and with a mysterious villain played by British fan favorite, Benedict Cumberbatch, it should perform well. It should top the weekend with an opening of $110-$120 million, putting it on track for a $270 million finish, hopefully opening up room for a third installment (Abrams’s next project is the seventh film in the Star Wars franchise).

May 24: Fast and Furious 6

May’s fourth weekend is a crowded one, with three wide releases that should all perform fairly well. The Fast and Furious franchise has never been my favorite, but with the success of last year’s Fast Five, the franchise is still alive and well. This installment features Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, two acclaimed action stars. If history will repeat itself, Fast 6 looks on track for an opening of $80-90 million, and closing with a $220 million gross. A seventh installment is already in the works for a release date of June of next year.

May 24: The Hangover: Part III

Everyone’s favorite Wolfpack is back in the third outing of this raunchy R-rated series. Marketing seems pitched at parodying franchise endings, calling this the mother of all trilogies. Still, it might reflect that audiences are getting tired of the Wolfpack and their games, so Part III doesn’t look like it will wind up anywhere near Part II’s gross. And with heavy competition, that only looks more inevitable. Expect Hangover 3 to see an opening of $50 million, and end with a franchise low of $150 million.

May 24: Epic

May is slightly light on family outings, and if March’s The Croods is any indication, animated films are still as relevant as ever. Epic portrays an action-oriented fantasy world, which might not connect with audiences, similar to last November’s Rise of the Guardians, which just barely scraped $100 million. Epic might break that trend, being a summer release, but expect it to get $40-$45 million its opening weekend. And with long legs until the next animated outing, Pixar’s Monsters University, it seems poised to reach $160 million domestically.

May 31: After Earth

The dynamic duo of Will Smith and his son Jaden return in this apocalyptic tale of a father and son stranded on a deserted planet. With so many action flicks in May, audiences may grow tired of the trend, and may pass on the strange premise and pairing of actors. Still, After Earth should do moderate business throughout June, and an opening of around $40 million seems likely, with a finish of $120 million.

May 31: Now You See Me

This action-drama featuring magicians who perform robberies on stage and reward their audience with the prize money, could be this summer’s sleeper hit. With such stars as Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, and Morgan Freeman, it should do decent business for audiences looking for something fresh. Tracking indicates an opening of around $20-$26 million, with a finish of around $55-$60 million.

Next month features Pixar’s next smash hit, as well as a Superman reboot, and another White House action movie. Stay tuned as we track the rest of summer’s big blockbusters.