It may be a tad early for a sunburn in these parts, but the summer movie season already is in full swing. The release of "Iron Man 2" and "Robin Hood" got things off to a strong start and things continue this week with "Shrek Forever After" and next week with "Sex and the City 2."

Bruce Olson, president of Milwaukee-based Marcus Theatres, which operates 668 screens in Wisconsin and six other Midwestern states, expects business at the box office to be brisk as other new releases hit the screen in the coming weeks.

"Our biggest week of the year is the week between Christmas and New Year's," Olson said. "But, summer is a longer season. With kids out of school and home from college, every weeknight is like a Friday or Saturday night."

Olson said that the idea of the "summer blockbuster" is a relatively recent phenomenon.

"About 30 years ago, summer wasn't very good," he said. "But, the release patterns changed. People have more time in the summer.

"The first Friday in May kicks off the summer movie season. We've already seen "Iron Man" and "Robin Hood" and those are two separate audiences. Now, we've got "Shrek" and "Sex and the City" coming. Those are four very different types of movies and they will all do very well.

"The studios do a good job of putting out a lot of pictures to very specific target markets."

Olson said that comedies tend to pull big audiences in the summer, with several of this year's candidates looking for "'The Hangover'-type success."

"There are some fun things coming up," Olson said. "I think films like 'The A-Team' and 'The Expendables' could do really well.

"It should be a good summer. There truly is something for everyone."

Here is a look at some of the movies hitting theaters during the summer season:

MAY

"Shrek Forever After" (3D)
Release date: May 21
Stars: Voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy
Summary: America's favorite Ogre suffers from the domestic doldrums and gets suckered into entering a pact with Rumpelstiltskin.

"Sex and the City 2"
Release date: May 27
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon
Summary: The female rat pack heads to Abu Dhabi to visit Samantha's new PR client. Somehow, Carrie runs into her furniture-making ex-boyfriend Aidan (John Corbett) and has a dilemma on her hands.

"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
Release date: May 28
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Summary: Could this be the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise? It's possible. Gyllenhaal joins forces with a mysterious princess to protect an ancient dagger that can release the Sands of Time and allow its owner to rule the world.

JUNE

"Marmaduke"
Release date: June 4
Stars: Voices of Owen Wilson (as Marmaduke), Kiefer Sutherland, George Lopez and Stacy Ferguson.
Summary: A combination of live action and computer-generated special effects, the film finds the lovable pooch moving into a new neighborhood and trying to fit in with his smaller four-legged friends.

"Get Him to The Greek"
Release date: June 4
Stars: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Elisabeth Moss
Summary: Hill plays a hard-charging intern at Capitol Records charged with babysitting Brand's character, who was last seen in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

"Killers"
Release date: June 4
Stars: Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher
Summary: Heigl is a newlywed who wakes up to gunfire and the realization that her hubby didn't tell her that he's an international assassin and spy.

"The A-Team"
Release date: June 11
Stars: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, mixed martial arts champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Sharlto Copley
Summary: An adaptation of the popular TV show, with former Special Forces soldiers trying to clear their names after being framed for a crime they didn't commit.

"The Karate Kid"
Release date: June 11
Stars: Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan
Summary: A remake of the 1984 film starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, this one is set in Beijing, where Tre Parker (Smith) and his mother move after a job transfer.

"Toy Story 3" (3D)
Release date: June 18
Stars: Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Bonnie Hunt, Laurie Metcalf
Summary: Woody and Buzz have a midlife crisis when Andy heads to college and donates his toys to a local day care center, where Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (Beatty) rules the toy box.

"Grown Ups"
Release date: June 25
Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Maya Rudolph
Summary: Sandler and his former high school basketball teammates gather for a reunion after their coach dies.

"Knight and Day"
Release date: June 25
Stars: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz
Summary: Cruise and Diaz race across Boston -- and then the world -- as a fugitive couple on the run with plenty of secrets.

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Release date: June 30
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
Summary: Hardcore fans known as "Twihards" are already buying tickets to this movie, in which the after-dark romantic triangle continues.

JULY

"Despicable Me" (3D)
Release date: July 9
Stars: Voices of Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, and Julie Andrews
Summary: Gru is a villain trying to steal the moon and outsmart his rival villain, Vector. Gru meets three orphan girls and is sidetracked.

"Predators"
Release date: July 9
Stars: Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo and Derek Mears
Summary: Dropped into a dense jungle, a group of cold-blooded mercenary killers are stunned when they discover that they've been brought together on an alien planet as prey for a new breed of alien Predators.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
Release date: July 16
Stars: Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel
Summary: Cage is a Manhattan-based sorcerer who joins with his sidekick to stop the forces of darkness and save the city.

"Inception"
Release date: July 16
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger, Dileep Rao and Michael Caine.
Summary: DiCaprio plays a corporate spy who steals secrets while his victims are dreaming. The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, is set to be released in traditional and IMAX formats.

"Salt"
Release date: July 23
Stars: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Summary: Jolie plays CIA spy Evelyn Salt, who heads out to prove her innocence after being tabbed as a Russian sleeper spy. True story: Tom Cruise was set to play this part as a guy. Jolie might look tougher.

"Ramona and Beezus"
Release date: July 23
Stars: Joey King and Selena Gomez.
Summary: Ramona's vivid imagination, boundless energy and accident-prone antics come in handy as she sets her mind to saving her family's home.

"Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" (3D)
Release date: July 30
Stars: Voices of Bette Midler, Alec Baldwin and Michael Clarke Duncan.
Summary: Kitty (Midler) is former spy who cooks up a plot to torment her canine enemies.

"Charlie St. Cloud"
Release date: July 30
Stars: Zac Effron
Summary: Effron plays a moody young man who cares for a cemetery and is torn between his new love and a promise he made to his deceased younger brother, who is buried in the cemetery.

AUGUST

"The Other Guys"
Release date: Aug. 6
Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan and Anne Heche.
Summary: Ferrell and Wahlberg play a pair of bumbling NYPD cops, who idolize department heroes Jackson and Johnson. You can guess what happens...

"Step Up" (3D)
Release date: Aug. 6
Stars: Adam Sevani, Alyston Stoner, Channing Tatum
Summary: Another installment of the dance movie series.

"Eat Pray Love"
Release date: Aug. 13
Stars: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem
Summary: Based on Elizabeth Gilbert's 2006 bestseller, this is the story of a writer who travels in an effort to find answers after a devastating divorce.

"The Expendables"
Release date: Aug. 13
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Jason Statham?
Summary: Who would you call to infiltrate a South American country headed by a ruthless dictator? How about a band of brothers starring a bunch of former action heroes?

"Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang"
Release date: Aug. 20
Stars: Emma Thompson
Summary: The magical nanny is back with a flying motorcycle, a statue that comes to life, a piglet who climbs trees and a baby elephant.

"Takers"
Release date: Aug. 20
Stars: Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Chris Brown, Idris Elba, T.I. and Zoe Saldana
Summary: Dillon plays a hard-boiled detective charged with breaking up a sophisticated band of crooks led by Walker and T.I.

"Going the Distance"
Release date: Aug. 27
Stars: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Christina Applegate
Summary: Romantic comedy about overcoming long-distance issues and taking a relationship to the next level.