By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

The heat is already on in Central Florida and things are about to heat up at the box office as well.

Summer doesn't technically begin until June 21, but for movie-lovers and the guys that distribute those movies, summer begins next Friday with the opening of Iron Man 2.

Iron Man was box office gold in 2008 with some $318 million at the box office.

Iron Man deserved its top-rated status, and with Robert Downey Jr. back, as well as Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson  returning as well as newcomers Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke and Don Cheadle, this sequel has lots of star power to go along with all the anticipated action.

Iron Man 2 will only have one week at the box office before it has to do battle with the next super hero of the summer, Russell Crowe in Robin Hood.

The previews for Robin Hood, which also stars Cate Blanchett, make it look as more like Gladiator than Robin Hood,Robin Hood has a running time of almost  2 1/2  hours.

but director Ridley Scott seldom disappoints, so this has to be better at least than the Kevin Costner men in tights disaster. Speaking of tights, you may want to wear something comfortable for this outing —

I just can't get too excited (make it more like totally disinterested) for Shrek Forever After. Shrek was a pop and cultural sensation and Shrek 2 was pretty much its equal, but this series  should have quit after two films. Shrek the Third was a definite let down. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz return, but this series really should just go straight to the DVD market at this point. This is called “The Final Chapter” but nothing is final in Hollywood. The latest Shrek opens May 21.

If you can't stand another Shrek, also opening May 21 is the Saturday Night Live flavored and Lorne Michael's produced MacGruber. The R-rated comedy stars Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan  Phillippe and Val Kilmer.

At least Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time brings a new face to the summer blockbuster. Director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco) helms this desert adventure starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina. Jerry Bruckheimer produces, so that means lots of special effects.

Also opening May 28 weekend is Sex and the City 2 with all of the City girls back. The first film was fun to watch, but I think I am leaving this sequel to the fans of the HBO series only.

June 4 weekend will be a wide-open week with four newcomers Get Him to the Greek, Killers, Marmaduke and Splice. Get Him to the Greek looks like a pretty predictable R-rated comedy (with Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Jonah Hill); Killers, is the week's date movie with Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher; Marmaduke, the week's family comedy with yet another talking animal; and Splice, is R-rated horror with Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley.

The A-Team finally hits the big screen June 11 with a new cast headed by Jessica Biel, Bradey Cooper and Liam Neeson. The Karate Kid also returns in a remake (I really dislike remakes) June 11 with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan.

Audiences will forget all about The A-Team and The Karate Kid with the arrival of Toy Story 3D June 18.  Iron Man 2Toy Story, with its legion of fans, is close behind and the 3D added to the title will just increase the frenzy. Amazingly, there is one new challenger slated to open with Toy Story, Jonah Hex, a comic book Western starring Josh Brolin, John Malkovich and Megan Fox.

is probably the most anticipated movie of the summer, but

One of the bigger comedies of the summer arrives June 25 with Grown Ups, with a script by Adam Sandler and starring Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock,  Rob Schneider, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello and Steve Buscemi. It opens against the big action film Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

And here's hoping The Twilight Saga:  Eclipse is even marginally better than the first two films from the series. Teen girls will fill the theaters again  June 30 for this predictable soap opera with vampires and werewolves.  Also opening that weekend is the latest from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs) who desperately needs a hit of any kind, is trying his hand with the martial arts film The Last Airbender.

Animation returns July 9 with Despicable Me, a 3-D film featuring the voice of Steve Carell. Carell plays a super villain who delights in all things wicked until he encounters three little orphaned girls.  The other big weekend opener is Predators, the newest chapter in the Predator franchise with Adrien Brody, Topher Grace and Danny Trejo.

The most anticipated science fiction film of the summer is Christopher Nolan's Inception, with Leonado DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy and Michael Caine.  This is a big budget film, shot in six countries and has been Nolan's  (The Dark Knight) pet project for the past few years. It has major competition July 16 with Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a live action film with Nicolas Cage as a master sorcerer in Manhattan trying to save the city from his arch-nemesis (played by Alfred Molina). He needs help, of course, from a young apprentice.

Other July films include Dinner For Schmucks, a comedy with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd; Salt, an action/thriller with Angelina Jolie and Liev Schrieber ; and The Adjustment Bureau, science fiction with Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Terence Stamp.

There is more all-star action comedy Aug. 6 in The Other Guys starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, The Rock, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton.

Julia Roberts stars in the drama Eat Pray Love with James Franco and Billy Crudup, opening Aug. 13. The weekend also includes The Expendables directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, an action comedy with Michael Cera and Kieran Culkin.

Other August films include Takers, an action-crime film with Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, and Jay Hernandez and Piranha 3D with Richard Dreyfus and Elizabeth Shue.

Film opening dates are always subject to change, especially during the summer.