Carrie and Julia instead of Spider-Man and Superman

Iron Man 2 will be followed by the third instalment of Toy Story. After that, it will be The Karate Kid, which Sony has remade for a new generation. Hollywood is not in the mood to take any risks this summer.

Instead of superheroes, chick flicks will be filling the cinemas. Sex and the City had its debut in 2008 and went on to earn more than $400 million worldwide. That's why Sex and the City 2 was made. The Proposal with Sandra Bullock did well last summer, which is why Sony is releasing Eat Pray Love with Julia Roberts in August.

The strategy is simple: "If you are trying to get noticed in summer, then it gives you a big head start to have some built-in fan base," Rob Moore of Paramount Pictures told The Wall Street Journal.

The only "original" films this summer are filled with the biggest stars: Angelina Jolie in Salt, Russell Crowe in Robin Hood, Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception and Tom Cruise in Knight and Day. The only "innovation" is in the area of 3-D. Because of the success of Avatar, and the fact that the 3-D format commands higher ticket prices, several animated films will hit cinemas in 3-D, including The Last Airbender.