2015 is shaping up to be one of the best years for movies in quite some time.  With sequels to popular franchises such as The Avengers, Fast and Furious, and James Bond, as well as revivals to the Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Terminator, and Mad Max franchises, moviegoers are in for a treat.  Though it is impossible to know for sure how each movie will do, here are some predictions for how the biggest movies of the year will perform.

1. Furious 7 will be ridiculously successful

The Fast and Furious franchise used to be moderately successful, but when Fast Five released in 2011, the series became a huge hit.  The seventh installment in the series seems to be no different, as it has already surpassed the amount Fast and Furious 6 earned in three weeks, grossing just over $1 billion worldwide, which is the best start of all time.  The film opened at a perfect time, just before the big summer releases of the year.  With the way it’s made money so far, don’t be surprised if it’s at least the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year.

2. Summer of Ultron

The Avengers is widely-considered to be one of the best superhero movies ever.  Its combination of action and comedy, plus the fact that Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and Thor united onscreen for the first time made it a huge success.  Its sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron, has a tough act to follow.  Joss Whedon returns to write and direct the film, which adds two new members to the Avengers.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olson play Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch, who join the team to take down Ultron (voiced by James Spader), a rampant A.I. bent on taking over the world.  It might not be as successful as its predecessor, but it should go toe-to-toe with Star Wars as the biggest movie of 2015.

3. Max is Back

It’s hard to say for sure how Mad Max: Fury Road will perform.  Series creator George Miller wrote and directed the film, which stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.
Considering the exciting trailers and the early positive buzz, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the most critically-acclaimed blockbuster of the year.  But considering that it is rated R, and Mad Max isn’t exactly the biggest franchise, it probably won’t set the box office on fire.  Still, it should be a pretty fun ride.

4. He’ll be back…again

When Terminator: Genisys was announced, there was a lot of excitement about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to the franchise after a decade in politics.  There was added buzz that Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones and Matt Smith from Doctor Who were going to be in it, too.  But with each trailer and promotional picture released, it’s looking like Genisys – which, by the way, is the worst subtitle for anything ever – may fail to meet expectations.  Is there a chance that it could be good?  Probably.  Will it perform well at the box office?  Absolutely.  But it’s not likely to be the best movie of the year.

5. Chris Pratt can’t lose

Chris Pratt is on a pretty impressive roll right now.  The star of one of last year’s biggest movies (Guardians of the Galaxy), he is rumored to play Indiana Jones in an upcoming reboot, and is starring in the sequel to one of the biggest franchises from the 90s with Jurassic World.  The previews seem impressive (it can’t be worse than Jurassic Park III, right?), but personally I’m looking forward to the inevitable Jurassic Galaxy sequel.

6. Pixar gets back on track

Since Toy Story 3 was released in 2010, Pixar Animation has been in a bit of a rut.  Monsters University was a move in the right direction, but Cars 2 and Brave were dissapointments.  This year, Pixar is releasing two movies, Inside Out in June, and The Good Dinosaur in November.  Inside Out looks particularly interesting, as it revolves around a young girl’s emotions (which appear as different characters) that attempt to guide her throughout a rough patch in her life.  Even if these two movies disappoint, Finding Dory, Toy Story 4, and The Incredibles 2 are releasing within the next few years.

7. Ant-Man will be big

When writer/director Edgar Wright left the production of Ant-Man back in 2013, my interest in the film dropped a bit.  Seeing the first trailer late last year, I had less confidence in it, as it seemed to be way more serious than a film about a man who can shrink to the size of an insect needs to be.  But with the trailer that just released, my confidence in Ant-Man was renewed.  It looks like it’ll have the perfect balance of seriousness and comedy, like most Marvel movies.  The film definitely has enough talent, — including Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, and Evangeline Lilly – and is coming hot off the heels of Age of Ultron.  It won’t make nearly as much money, but it should be pretty successful.

8. Almost Fantastic Four

Not much is known about the Fantastic Four reboot, except that it’s being directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle) and stars Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell as The Human Torch, Mister Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, and The Thing, respectively.  There is a lot of talent involved, so expectations are that it will be better than the Fantastic Four movies from 2005 and 2007.

9. Bond gets bigger

Daniel Craig returns to play James Bond for the fourth time, this time in November’s Spectre.  A direct follow-up to 2013’s Skyfall, which was the best Bond film in years, Spectre features Bond attempting to uncover a sinister organization, led by Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz.  Sam Mendes, who directed the last installment, is also returning. Even if it isn’t as good as Skyfall, the dynamic between Craig and Waltz should be extremely entertaining.

10. 2015 is the year of Star Wars

If you thought there was a lot of hype surrounding the teaser trailer released earlier this month (which amassed 88 million views in the first day alone), you haven’t seen anything yet.  Star Wars:  The Force Awakens, the seventh installment in the groundbreaking saga, takes place thirty years after 1983’s Return of the Jedi.  Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford reprise their roles as Luke, Leia, and Han, which marks the first time they’ve played the roles in over three decades.  Star Trek director JJ Abrams takes over the franchise, and is writing the movie with Lawrence Kasdan, who also wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.  With the heroes from the original trilogy returning, alongside young, talented actors like John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, and Lupita Nyong’O, The Force Awakens should be a great ending to a fantastic year for movies.