Blockbusters on parade

David Lagumbay hasn’t gone to the movies all year. That changes tonight.

The 35-year-old network systems manager from Irvine is gathering friends and family to see “Spider-Man 3,” Sony Pictures’ newest superhero spectacle. After opening to record business in countries as varied as France and Malaysia, “Spider-Man 3” debuted in U.S. theaters this morning at 12:01, kicking off a summer of big-budget sequels that is likely to shatter Hollywood’s box-office records.

“These movies coming up are on a different level from what’s been out there lately,” Lagumbay said.

Summer doesn’t officially start until June. But on Hollywood’s calendar, it arrives the minute lines form outside theaters for the first big-budget blockbuster of the season.

Opening on 11,000 screens, “Spider-Man 3” is having the widest release of any movie in North American history. But it’s only the first in a slew of big cinematic guns to hit the multiplexes in a march of blockbusters opening nearly every weekend through the summer.

Following in May alone are “Shrek the Third” in two weeks and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” over the Memorial Day weekend.

“It’s unusual to see such a potent trio of films,” said Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of the “Pirates” series.

The films will go a long way toward propelling summer ticket sales to an expected $4 billion or more in the U.S. and Canada. That turbocharging is coming none too soon, in the wake of several weeks of sluggish business.

“Hollywood has been waiting for the cavalry to arrive, and finally the superhero is here to save the day,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of box-office tracker Media by Numbers.

With hundreds of “Spider-Man 3” shows across the country already sold out, analysts are predicting that the movie will easily top $100 million this weekend and could break the opening-weekend record of $136 million set last year by Bruckheimer’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

Such lofty expectations can spell trouble, however, if results are the least bit short of projections. Last summer, the Tom Cruise spy sequel “Mission: Impossible III” was labeled a disappointment when it opened to $48 million, at the low end of projections.

With studios betting more than $1 billion just to make and market the three big May sequels, plenty is at stake.

But Hollywood considers all three sequels safe bets because audiences know what they are getting. The “Spider-Man,” “Shrek” and “Pirates” movies are encores to three of the 10 top-grossing films of all time in the U.S. and Canada. Worldwide, the six previous movies in the franchises have grossed a combined $4.7 billion.

Rob Moore, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures, which is releasing DreamWorks Animation’s “Shrek the Third,” said consumer surveys have him convinced that all three films could hit $100 million in their opening weekends.

“Audiences have completely committed to the fact that May is going to be the best month in the history of the motion picture business,” Moore said.

“Spider-Man 3” started off sprinting overseas this week, toppling opening-day records in 10 of the 16 countries where it debuted Tuesday. The movie grossed $29 million in Asia and Europe -- more than the first two chapters combined.

Besides the May sequels, several movies coming later in the summer are generating buzz, with trailers circulating on the Internet and test screenings underway. “Transformers” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said he ran into an old friend this week, the mother of a teenage boy.

“She goes, ‘Lorenzo, you have no idea how big ‘Transformers’ is going to be. Every 13-year-old boy and girl, all they talk about is how cool it looks,’ ” Di Bonaventura said.

Big audiences in May also could help studios build momentum for the rest of the summer. That’s because they will have a captive audience for coming attractions.

Sony is showing trailers for “Surf’s Up,” its animated penguin movie slated for early June, before “Spider-Man 3.” Paramount will use “Shrek the Third” to tease “Transformers,” scheduled for the Fourth of July holiday.

“We can get people back into the habit of going to the movies every week, which benefits the whole industry,” said Jeff Blake, Sony’s president of worldwide marketing and distribution.

Despite the focus on May, other high-profile titles are spread throughout the summer. “Ocean’s Thirteen,” with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, will open in June, as will “Ratatouille,” a new film from the computer wizards at Pixar Animation Studios.

July will be loaded with “The Simpsons Movie” and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” the latest in that lucrative series. August will see sequels “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Rush Hour 3.”

Despite the crowded schedule, said veteran producer Jerry Weintraub of “Ocean’s Thirteen,” there are plenty of moviegoers to go around. The competition among Hollywood studios reminds him of the classic past rivalry between New York City department stores Macy’s and Gimbels.

“One of them would have a sale, then the other would put on a sale at the same time,” he said, “and shoppers would end up going to both. This summer, you’ve got four Macy’s and four Gimbels.”

josh.friedman@latimes.com

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The summer slate

Hollywood is hoping for blockbuster results from its lineup of summer movies. Among the big bets:

*--* Movie Studio Release date “Spider-Man 3” Sony Today “Shrek the Third” DreamWorks Animation May 18 /Paramount “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” Disney May 25 “Ocean’s Thirteen” Warner Bros. June 8 “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” 20th Century Fox June 15 “Evan Almighty” Universal June 22 “Live Free or Die Hard” 20th Century Fox June 27 “Ratatouille” Pixar/Disney June 29 “Transformers” DreamWorks/Paramount July 4 “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” Warner Bros. July 13 “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” Universal July 20 “The Simpsons Movie” 20th Century Fox July 27 “The Bourne Ultimatum” Universal Aug. 3 “Rush Hour 3” New Line Aug. 10

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Sources: Media by Numbers, Times research