Last year I previewed the big-budget summer movies, giving you a look at ten interesting films that were on the docket for the summer of 2006. This year I'm back with an even longer list (bloated like these films' budgets) of 15 movies you may want to escape to -- or possibly run screaming from.

Of these fifteen movies, Spiderman 3 and ten others are sequels, which in itself indicates something about the state of the industry (And I didn't even include Rush Hour 3 in this list, because, honestly, who wants to see that?). Two of the remaining four movies, Transformers and The Simpsons, are based on animated television shows, leaving only two original ideas in the whole lot -- Knocked Up and Ratatouille. Please, don't shoot the messenger.

Anyway, here is the list, chronologically, of the movies that Hollywood's brain-trust believes you will shell out your cash to see in the air-conditioned darkness of your local movie-house, along with my opinion of how they'll fare. The first on the list, Spider-Man 3, is already out in Asia, but will not be released here until May. All release dates below are for the U.S.

5/04 - Spider-Man 3, Sony Corp's (NYSE: SNE) Sony Pictures
Being the first blockbuster of the summer almost guarantees a successful open, and the popularity of the franchise seals that guarantee. One problem, however, is that "success" measured by any normal means won't be enough, as this movie had an estimated budget of $258M.

5/11 - 28 Weeks Later, News Corp's (NYSE: NWS) 20th Century Fox
The highlight of the horror/zombie genre for the summer, this follows the surprise success of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, which reinvented the zombie film with faster zombies and smarter characters.

5/18 - Shrek the Third, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Pictures
One of the only cartoon franchises that has held its own against Pixar (Ice Age being the other), the draw of this fairytale romp is that while kids love the story, there are enough winks at the adult audience to make parents happy to take them.

5/25 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS)
Money in the bank for Disney, and since it was shot simultaneous with the second Pirates installment, it wasn't even as expensive to make as this summer's other budget hog, Spider-Man 3.
6/01 - Knocked Up, General Electric's (NYSE: GE) Universal Pictures
Could be the sleeper comedy hit of the year -- think Wedding Crashers or 40-Year Old Virgin; although a 130-plus minute run time for a comedy is a bit intimidating.

6/08 - Ocean's Thirteen, Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) Warner Bros.
This third installment may suffer among the stiff summer competition, as Ocean's Twelve was a fairly disappointing movie.

6/08 - Hostel Part II, Lionsgate Films (NYSE: LGF)
I thought Turistas (which grossed a paltry $7M) was the sequel to Hostel. It's wasn't, but I am betting this isn't going to do much better, as most of the original's success was due to its shock value.

6/15 - Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, News Corp's 20th Century Fox
The original FF movie wasn't good enough to warrant a sequel, and it would not surprise me if this sequel performed like Daredevil's loose sequel, Elektra -- straight downhill and almost straight to DVD.

6/22 - Evan Almighty, GE's Universal Pictures
Sequels usually don't perform well when they lose their star, but everything Steve Carrell touches has been turning to gold -- notably The Office, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine.

6/27 - Live Free or Die Hard, News Corp's 20th Century Fox
A decade after the final chapter of this action trilogy, John McClane returns to collect a paycheck. If Lethal Weapon 4 is any indication, people will still pay to go see this.

6/29 - Ratatouille, Disney-Pixar
As I said last year about Cars, it's Pixar, and they haven't missed yet. I will continue to hold that opinion until they prove me wrong.

7/4 - Transformers, Viacom's Paramount Pictures
This movie, by director Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys I &II), has flop written all over it. Although I am certain it will be a visual orgasm, there cannot possibly be enough substance in a story about alien robots that transform into vehicles to make this a hit with the general public.

7/13 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Time Warner's Warner Bros.
Should kick Transformers out of the top spot and hold it for most of the rest of the summer. Harry and company appeal to children of all ages as well as the children in the rest of us. The story is getting darker, with more deaths, but a PG-13 rating didn't slow down the fourth installment, so it won't here either.

7/27 - The Simpsons Movie, News Corp's 20th Century Fox
Of recent cartoon sitcom movies, Family Guy went direct to DVD and Aqua Teen Hunger Force became more famous as an act of terrorism than a movie. South Park succeeded in crossing over some time ago, but they were smart enough to do it while the show was scorching hot. The Simpsons may have waited ten years too long.

8/3 - The Bourne Ultimatum, GE's Universal Pictures
Although I understand the series is not true to the novels it is based on, that has not harmed its cinematic success. Unlike some of this summer's other sequels, this was always intended as a trilogy, so with a built-in audience awaiting its conclusion, I doubt this will do worse than the Bourne Supremacy's $175M+ take.

In summation, it looks like it will be another strong summer for Disney, with Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox also grossing high totals at the box office (the latter more for quantity than quality). Universal should also do well, as it appears to have the comedy segment locked down. It also appears that Viacom, coming off a big disappointment last summer with Mission Impossible 3, could be the big loser this summer, if Transformers doesn't live up to the hype.