The Three Films of May 2007: Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, and Spider-Man Will Soon Vie for Supremacy

The summer season of 2006 has ended not with a bang, but rather a whimper. It was a summer of mammoth hits and small surprises, of underperforming films and disappointing follow-ups, of heroes facing evil and pirates facing the supernatural. Snake on a Plane, the last potential blockbuster of the summer, has come and gone. 

Leaving in its wake a feeling of disappointment and longing, as it failed to perform to expectations. The Labor Day weekend, long considered the final weekend of the summer season, as now had record-low box office ratings dating back to 2003. Yet, on the distant horizon, there is hope.

Next year, in May of 2007, the summer season is going to open with the stiffest competition in years. Three films, all supposedly final chapters in massive franchises, will be opening in a single month. For us fans, that means three incredible movies in a short period of time, but what does this mean for the companies behind those cinematic offerings? Let's look at the pieces, and find out.

On May 4th, 2007 Sony Pictures and Sam Raimi will be unleashing the third film in the amazing Spider-Man film franchise. Starring Tobey MaGuire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco - all rather hot young stars with a lot of clout behind them (thanks in no small part to the previous two films in this particular series). The last two entries were both incredible successes both domestically and internationally. 

The first two movies told the story of young Peter Parker (MaGuire), a young man bitten by a genetically-altered spider and given powers from it. Though the premise is goofy, the first two films had incredible writing and talented cast members make you believe every moment of this comic-based film franchise. And with the third film in the series, director Sam Raimi is hoping to brings things to an entirely new level in terms of action and storytelling, bringing in no less than three villains for Spider-Man to face (not to mention his own inner demons).