While Katniss Everdeen and the rest of The Hunger Games crew has dominated the box office for the last month (and given how insanely popular the accompanying books were – and still are – that’s really no big surprise), there’s finally a slew of worthy competitors, ready and waiting to knock it off its perch.
    
So whether you favor an old-fashioned romance inspired by a Nicholas Sparks novel, find yourself wanting to set sail with some mischievous pirates, or prefer movies with a little more action and plenty of superheroes to boot, there’s practically something for everyone these next couple of months.

But with all these great movies at the theater, you just might get burned out on high ticket prices, so be sure to check out gmc's offerings from the comfort of your own living room!

In the gmc World Premiere Movie: SMITTY, 13-year-old Ben has to choose between Juvenile Hall or summer on his grandfather's farm. A dog from the local animal shelter teaches Ben life lessons about friendship, family and responsibility. The movie, starring Mira Sorvino, Peter Fonda and Louis Gossett, Jr., premieres Sunday May 20 at 7, 9 & 11 pm et.

On Sunday, May 6 at 7 pm et, gmc celebrates the 30th anniversary of 1982's E. T. The Extra Terrestrial. In this classic tale, a meek and alienated little boy finds the courage to defy the authorities to help his alien friend return to his home planet.

Now with no further adieu, here’s the skinny on 13 films, releasing between now and June 15, that everybody’s talking about... 

The Contenders: Chimpanzee
Release Date: April 20
The Premise: Narrated by Tim Allen, Chimpanzee is an up close and personal look at the struggle for survival when a three-year-old chimp is accidentally separated from his group and eventually adopted by a fully grown male who becomes like a surrogate father to him.
The One-Two Punch: You can never go wrong with animal adorableness, and a cute-as-can-be chimp named Oscar will totally steal your heart.

The Contender: The Lucky One
Release Date: April 20
The Premise: After finding a snapshot of a mystery woman while fighting in the trenches in Iraq, a soldier walks from Colorado to Louisiana once his tour of duty is over to thank her for being his good luck charm.
The One-Two Punch: In the latest adaptation of a best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel, Zac Efron takes on a grown-up role that doesn’t involve singing, dancing or merely serving as the requisite eye candy.

The Contender: The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Release Date: April 27
The Premise: Hoping to win the coveted title of “Pirate of the Year,” a pirate captain sets out an outlandish mission to defeat his rivals.
The One-Two Punch: With no movie featuring the beloved Captain Jack Sparrow this year, Hugh Grant makes a pretty great pirate with a particularly snarky side.

The Contender: The Avengers
Release Date: May 4
The Premise: With the fate of mankind in question, Nick Fury and an international agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. bring an all-star team of fighters together to save Earth from disaster.
The One-Two Punch: Summer movie season officially kicks off early this year as everyone’s favorite superheroes (Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Thor, etc.) join forces in one movie. Bonus: Joss Whedon writes and directs the project.

The Contender: Dark Shadows
Release Date: May 11
The Premise: After breaking the heart of his beloved Angelique, Barnabas Collins is turned into a vampire and buried alive. Finally making his escape in the early ‘70s, the world as he knows it has changed considerably.
The One-Two Punch: After being all sparkly and wildly romantic in the Twilight Saga, vampires get a little freaky again with Johnny Depp in the lead as Barnabas Collins in this Tim Burton adaptation of the TV show.

The Contender: Battleship
Release Date: May 18
The Premise: A fleet of battleships is forced to fight another fleet with potentially compromised loyalties.
The One-Two Punch: The classic board game gets the big-screen treatment with an all-star cast including Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard, Brooklyn Decker, Taylor Kitsch and Rhianna.

The Contender: What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Release Date: May 18
The Premise: Sort of like Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve, the lives of five couples who are all on the cusp of first-time parenthood intersect in unexpected ways.
The One-Two Punch: Serving as the female counterprogramming to Battleship, this popular pregnancy manual gets a comedic new spin.

The Contender: Men in Black 3
Release Date: May 25
The Premise: Time travel is involved in the latest installment of Men in Black as the fate of the planet is at stake once again.
The One-Two Punch: Apparently there are even more aliens for Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones to fight in what’s one of the most-anticipated summer blockbusters.

The Contender: Snow White and the Huntsman
Release Date: June 1
The Premise: Unlike the comedic take on Snow White that Mirror Mirror served up, this movie’s dark and all business as a wicked ruler attempts to rule forever by killing her arch nemesis – Snow White, naturally.
The One-Two Punch: Kristen Stewart says goodbye to Bella Swan (until November, anyway) and plays the fair Snow White, while Charlize Theron plays the evil queen determined to knock her down a peg or two.

The Contender: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Release Date: June 8
The Premise: Set in Europe this time around, Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo, and Melman the Giraffe are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. But in the meantime, they make the most of their time in Europe’s grandest locales.
The One-Two Punch: A slew of celebrity voices including everyone from Ben Stiller to Jada Pinkett Smith to Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Sacha Baron Cohen unite yet again for another crazy animal adventure.

The Contender: Prometheus
Release Date: June 8
The Premise: In Prometheus, a team of scientists and explorers test their physical and mental limits as they discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life's ultimate mystery.
The One-Two Punch: Ridley Scott is directing a trippy sci-fi flick set in the most dangerous corners of the universe.

The Contender: Rock of Ages
Release Date: June 15
The Premise: One couple’s love is challenged in a major way when newfound fame inevitably gets in the way.
The One-Two Punch: Tom Cruise is a rock star with some seriously bad hair in a story set in Los Angeles in 1987. Naturally, music from REO Speedwagon, Journey and Bon Jovi is involved.

The Contender: That’s My Boy
Release Date: June 15
The Premise: While only a teenager, Adam Sandler’s character Don fathered a son named Todd (Andy Samberg) and raised him as a single parent up until Todd's 18th birthday. Now, after not seeing each other for years, Todd’s world comes crashing down on the eve of his wedding when an uninvited Donny suddenly shows up.
The One-Two Punch: Anything’s bound to be better than Jack & Jill, right? Yeah, one can only hope the latest from Adam Sandler delivers the laughs.

Copyright 2012, watchgmctv.com. For permission to repost or reprint, click here.

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About the Writer

After graduating with a B.S. in Journalism from North Central University in 1998, Christa Banister moved from Minneapolis to Nashville, Tenn. and eventually started working at CCM Magazine/Salem Publishing in various editorial capacities as an editor, columnist and website guru for five and a half years. After that, she launched her own Dallas-based freelance writing company and writes for numerous clients including Salem Publishing, Crosswalk.com (she reviews movies for them each week), Christian Single, Christianity Today, Threads Media, Songs4Worship.com, PassAlong.com and also helped kickstart the first Christian music blog for MTV. In addition, she also writes bios for professional recording artists and authors and penned her first two novels, Around the World in 80 Dates and Blessed Are the Meddlers for NavPress.