Superman already has a lot on his shoulders. It seems unfair to add the fate of the summer movie season to his list. But he's not alone -- Marvel Studios is also returning to theaters in a big way with two movies this summer, "Thunderbolts" and "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."

Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the movie business to a halt, and two years after the strikes, the industry has yet to fully recover. Critics may have complained of superhero fatigue, but after several summers of depleted offerings, it's clear that they're a vital part of the mix.

Superheroes alone don't make for a healthy marketplace, however, and this year studios have set a full slate for every kind of moviegoer, with over 40 wide releases spanning genres.

"This is the summer where all this product that we've all been working on for the last few years is finally coming into the marketplace, so I'm very optimistic," says Joseph Kosinski, who directed "F1" with Brad Pitt.

Summer begins early in Hollywood, on the first weekend in May and that kick-off can make or break that pivotal 123 day corridor that has historically accounted for around 40% of the annual box office.

After the strikes upended the 2024 summer calendar, this year Disney is back in that familiar first weekend spot with "Thunderbolts." Memorial Day weekend could also be a behemoth with the live action "Lilo & Stitch" and "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning." With a new "Jurassic World," a live action "How to Train Your Dragon" and the Formula One movie also on the schedule through June and July, the summer season has the potential to be the biggest in the post-COVID era.

There are also family pics ("Smurfs," "Elio"); action and adventures ("Ballerina," "The Karate Kid: Legends"); horrors, thrillers and slashers ("28 Years Later," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "M3GAN 2.0"); romances ("Materialists," "Jane Austen Wrecked My Life"); dramas ("Sorry, Baby," "The Life of Chuck"); a new Wes Anderson movie ("The Phonecian Scheme"); and comedies ("Freakier Friday," "Bride Hard," "The Naked Gun").

"Draw me a blueprint of a perfect summer lineup: 2025 is it," says Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

"It's a fun twist on what a movie like this could be," says "Thunderbolts" director Jake Schreier.

"It's a personal journey for Superman that's entirely new," says "Superman" director James Gunn. "But it's also about the robots and the flying dogs and all that stuff. It's taking a very real person and putting them in the middle of this outrageous situation and outrageous world and playing with that. I think it's a lot of fun because of that."

"It's working on an incredibly large scale in terms of world building, but it's also no different from all of the great comedies and dramas that I've done," says "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" director Matt Shakman. "In the end, it comes down to character, it comes down to relationships, it comes down to heart and humor."

"People say, like, do you feel pressure and the most pressure I feel is from myself as a fan and to Steven Spielberg, to not disappoint him," says "Jurassic World Rebirth" director Gareth Edwards. "Weirdly what's great about doing a Jurassic movie is that everybody knows deep down that like half the reason they're in this business is because of that film and Steven's work."

Before the pandemic, all but one summer since 2007 broke the $4 billion mark. Since 2020, only one has: 2023, led by "Barbie."

The unstable economy might work in the industry's favor, at least when it comes to moviegoing. Even with increased ticket prices, theatrical movies remain the most affordable entertainment outside of the home and attendance tends to increase during recession years. The annual domestic box office crossed $10 billion for the first time in 2009.

"By the end of this summer, hopefully people aren't talking about being in a funk anymore and it feels like we got our mojo back and we're off to the races," Kosinski, who directed the pandemic-era hit "Top Gun: Maverick," says.

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For more on this year's summer movie season, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies