Variety today predicted that next month could …

Variety today predicted that next month could be Hollywood’s biggest May ever, with four consecutive weeks of big titles — Iron Man, Speed Racer, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Indiana Jones 4 — leading the way into the more conventional blockbuster season of June and July. Of course, it was only a couple of weeks ago when some analysts suggested that a weak May hinted at an overall weak summer to come, but Pamela McClintock takes a more optimistic view: “For studios, the question isn’t whether three of the May films can shoot past the $300 million mark domestically, as Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ultimately did,” she notes. “The question is whether the product is strong enough as a whole to make up for the lack of the three mega-franchises. … Speed Racer, rated PG, may not open as big as the others but could have strong legs.” Also of note: the bankable chick flicks Made of Honor and Sex and the City, whose $100 million won’t be enough to break those studio heads’ falls if and when their tentpoles snap. We’ll know where to look for casualties in about a month. [Variety]