With “The Avengers” set to premiere Friday, the summer blockbuster movie frenzy is about to start. Movies such as “Men in Black III” and “Battleship” will also hit theaters in May.

As the summer progresses, things are looking even better. Audiences should expect to see more costumed heroes when “The Dark

Knight Rises” and “The Amazing Spider-Man” release in theaters this July.

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Here are the top five big-budget movies to watch for during the summer.

5) Snow White and the Huntsman: Things get dark in this adaption of Snow White, which plans to go far beyond the constraints of the 1937 Walt Disney original and to be more like the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. In fact, this time Snow White fights back against her evil stepmother with the help of a huntsman, played by Chris Hemsworth. The theatrical trailer has a very dark and gritty tone. Snow White is depicted more as a warrior in this movie, rather than a damsel in distress, which is the way she is viewed in the Disney classic. It’s been a while since we’ve seen an adaption of this fairy tale in film, and with a fresh take, it seems like a great time to revisit this story.

4) The Amazing Spider-Man: After the debacle that was “Spider-Man 3,” it’s time for a new take on the Spider-Man universe. “The Amazing Spider-Man” is a reboot of the movie franchise. Actor Tobey Maguire no longer hides behind the mask of the costumed hero. Instead, Andrew Garfield takes the lead role as Peter Parker and his alter ego Spider-Man, who will take on the Lizard, another one of his rogue’s gallery villians from the comic books. Based on the trailers that have come out, director Marc Webb seems to have Spider-Man back on track. Details left out in previous Spider-Man movies such as the lives of Parker’s parents seem to come into greater focus in this film. Overall, this movie makes the list because the Spider-Man movie franchise has nowhere to go but up after “Spider-man 3.”

3) The Avengers: Marvel has been planning an Avengers movie since the release of “Iron Man,” its 2008 summer hit. Following that movie, other Marvel releases have set the stage for “The Avengers.” This movie features superheroes ranging from Captain America, The Hulk, Thor and Iron Man, who team up to take down a threat to Earth. This threat is unknown, and much speculation has started among fans on Internet forums. Big things are expected from this movie, based on the fact that it has been teased for four years, and this is the first time comic fans will see a collaboration of some of the most popular Marvel characters on the big screen.

2) Prometheus: Ridley Scott, director of the original “Aliens,” has a new movie on the way. Trailers hint at a strong possibility that the movie will be a prequel to “Aliens,” but no official confirmation has been made by Scott or 20th Century Fox. Much of the anticipation for the movie comes from the mysterious trailers that keep fans guessing. While the likelihood is that this movie is a prequel to “Aliens,” the trailers show a return to what made science fiction movies so popular in the ’80s and ’90s: suspense and horror.

1) The Dark Knight Rises: Director Christopher Nolan has built a collection of great movies during his career, including “The Prestige,” “Batman Begins,” and “Memento.”  Nolan has been on a roll lately with the release of “Inception” and “The Dark Knight.” Few details have been released on his latest movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” which will end his vision of the latest Batman trilogy. Christopher Bale returns to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman. Also returning are supporting actors Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine. The film’s poster possibly hints at the end of Batman’s character at the hands of the villain, Bane. “The Dark Knight” built its own fanbase, and there seems to be little chance of disappointment, given the quality of the director.