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Step aside, plot-driven flicks and character-driven dramas, the summer movie season is upon us, which can mean only one thing: action, lots and lots of CGI-based action.

Avengers: Age of Ultron already softened up the summer box office on May 1 to the tune of $188-million (U.S.) in its opening week, and while it’s hard to imagine any other summer offerings coming close to Marvel’s ace in the hole, there’s no shortage of blockbusters to watch while you try to avoid that nasty sunburn.

Between The Terminator and larger-than-life dinosaurs on one hand and little yellow minions on the other, here are the movies to help you beat the heat. (Note that all release dates are subject to change.)

THE BLOCKBUSTERS

Mad Max: Fury Road (May 15)

Directed by George Miller

Starring Tom Hardy, Charlize

Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

The fourth movie in George Miller’s Mad Max franchise marks the first return to the barren, postapocalyptic wasteland since 1985’s Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. With Tom Hardy taking over from Mel Gibson, Fury Road sees Max team up with Charlize Theron’s Furiosa as they battle ruthless bandits in a world where gasoline is king.

San Andreas (May 29)

Directed by Brad Peyton

Starring Dwayne Johnson,

Alexandra Daddario, Carla Gugino and Colton Haynes

The Rock plays a rescue-helicopter pilot who tries to save his family after a devastating earthquake hits California, in a disaster movie that may seem a little too realistic after the recent tragedy in Nepal.

Jurassic World (June 12)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio and Judy Greer

The Avengers: Age of Ultron may have already shattered the summer box office, but if any movie is going to come remotely close to the superhero behemoth it will be the one that stars Chris Pratt and a genetically engineered T-Rex who finds sport in terrorizing theme-park-goers.

Terminator Genisys (July 1)

Directed by Alan Taylor

Starring Emilia Clarke, Jai

Courtney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and J.K. Simmons

Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t kidding when he said he’d be back, as California’s former governor reprises his role as the Terminator in the fifth iteration of the uber-successful sci-fi franchise. As Sarah Connor, Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke will try

to stop Judgment Day from ravaging the world in a role that may make her this summer’s breakout star.

Ant-Man (July 17)

Directed by Peyton Reed

Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline

Lilly, Michael Douglas and Corey Stoll

There’s a lot of skepticism surrounding Marvel Studios’ heist movie about a man whose powers involve shrinking and communicating with ants. Just remember that those people probably thought the same thing about a movie with a talking raccoon, and we all know how that one turned out.

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (July 31)

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt will again be dangling from high places in the fifth chapter of the successful Hollywood action franchise. This time around, Hunt and his team’s impossible mission involves taking down a secret syndicate of superspies, so you know there’ll be no shortage of explosions and car chases.

Fantastic Four (Aug. 7)

Directed by Josh Trank

Starring Kate Mara, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell

Another superhero-packed summer will see Marvel’s first family give it their second go-round on the silver screen. With a slew of young stars and a ton of CGI effects, Josh Trank’s darker, more grounded take on the superpowered clan should have no problem separating itself from the more cartoonish 2005 version.

THE COMEDIES

Pitch Perfect 2 (May 15)

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel

Wilson, Brittany Snow and

Elizabeth Banks

Nearing the end of their tenure as Barden Bellas, Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the rest of the singing group take part in the a-cappella world championship in the hopes of becoming the first American team to win it all.

Entourage (June 3)

Directed by Doug Ellin

Starring Adrian Grenier, Jeremy Piven and Kevin Connolly

Vince, Turtle, E, Drama and the rest of the gang are back at it as Vince tries his hand at directing Ari’s first movie as studio head. If the trailer is any indication, you can expect a ton of celebrity cameos in the swan song to one of HBO’s most popular original series.

Spy (June 5)

Directed by Paul Feig

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham and Jude Law

Melissa McCarthy plays an unlikely CIA-analyst-turned-spy in Paul Feig’s latest comedy, which also sees Jude Law as a 007-inspired superspy, albeit clumsier – his take on a role that many had hoped he would play before Daniel Craig took over as James Bond.

Ted 2 (June 26)

Directed by Seth MacFarlane

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Seth MacFarlane and Liam Neeson

The sequel to one of 2012’s highest-grossing movies will see the crude, pot-smoking teddy bear try to become a parent. But before he can impregnate his girlfriend with his best friend John’s sperm, he must prove to a court of law that he’s human. We’d recommend leaving the kids at home for this one.

Trainwreck (July 17)

Directed by Judd Apatow

Starring Amy Schumer, Bill Hader and Brie Larson

Directing his first movie since 2012’s This Is 40, Judd Apatow’s latest comedy stars Amy Schumer as Amy, a career-focused magazine writer who has strong beliefs against monogamy. But after meeting a charming sports doctor (Bill Hader), Amy’s commitment-phobia is put to the test in ways that can only be explored in an R-rated comedy. The movie also marks NBA star LeBron James’s silver-screen debut.

FAMILY FUN

Tomorrowland (May 22)

Directed by Brad Bird

Starring George Clooney, Britt

Robertson and Hugh Laurie

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding Disney’s latest live-action flick. But what we do know about Brad Bird’s hotly anticipated feature, which he co-wrote with Lost’s Damon Lindelof, is that it’s built around a former boy genius (George Clooney) and a scientifically curious girl (Britt Robertson) and is based on Disney’s futuristic theme park of the same name.

Inside Out (June 19)

Directed by Pete Docter and Ronaldo Del Carmen

Starring the voices of Diane Lane, Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling

Pixar’s latest offering is about Riley, a little girl who’s controlled by five emotions that live in her mind. When her family moves to a new city, Riley’s main emotion, Joy, struggles to keep everything in check.

Minions (July 10)

Directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin

Starring the voices of Sandra

Bullock, Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton

They’re small, cute, round and will do anything for a banana. Minions have officially become the most popular part of Universal’s Despicable Me franchise and their first solo outing will serve as an origin story to their diabolically adorable existence.

Pixels (July 24)

Directed by Chris Columbus

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan and Peter Dinklage

The Toronto-filmed comedy explores what would happen if aliens misinterpreted video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war and used our beloved 8-bit pixel characters to attack Earth. The only people who can save the world from an evil Pac-Man and Donkey Kong? A group of former arcade champs led by Adam Sandler.

CGI-LIGHT FLICKS

Poltergeist (May 22)

Directed by Gil Kenan

Starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt and Jared Harris

This remake of the iconic 1982 horror movie is about a suburban family whose youngest daughter is taken by angry spirits after the family moves into a new house. As if that isn’t enough reason to sell immediately, the poltergeists further terrorize the family with flashing TV screens and possessed clown dolls. Why do ghosts always default to creepy-looking dolls?

Aloha (May 29)

Directed by Cameron Crowe

Starring Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Rachel McAdams, John

Krasinski and Bill Murray

Cameron Crowe’s star-studded romcom is a rarity this summer season, considering that it offers movie-goers an appropriate date-night movie option without comic violence or mass amounts of CGI. Bradley Cooper leads the likeable cast as Brian Gilcrest, a defence contractor who returns to Hawaii and falls in love with a quirky air-force pilot (Emma Stone) while reconnecting with an old flame (Rachel McAdams).

Magic Mike XXL (July 1)

Directed by Gregory Jacobs

Starring Channing Tatum,

Elizabeth Banks, Amber Heard and Joe Manganiello

Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello and most of the Magic Mike gang (minus Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer) are back to fulfill every woman’s fantasy while continuing to make every man in the audience feel inadequate. In a sequel taking place three years after its predecessor, Mike (Tatum) comes out of retirement to help the Kings of Tampa win one last stripping competition, so expect a lot of screen time dedicated to shirtless men and chiselled six-packs.