RANKED: The 10 movies most likely to dominate this summer

Business Insider

For Hollywood studios, the time between May and August can make or break a year.

Blockbusters have become the lifeblood of the studio system. The popularity of comic-book adaptations and sequels released in the summer led to a record-breaking 2015 at the box office (with a little help from “Star Wars” later in the year). 

As we prepare for another summer-movie onslaught, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to break down the most anticipated titles and what has the best shot at getting to the top of the heap.

Compiling box-office projections, our own poll of readers, and the hype machine, here's our ranking of the biggest summer movies of 2016.

10. “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” (May 20)

One of the few comedies to crack the top 10 in our power ranking, this sequel is riding the wave of love for the first "Neighbors" from 2014, and the charm of Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, and Rose Byrne combined.

The movie came in third in a survey of most anticipated summer comedies by the country’s largest movie ticket seller, Fandango.

And with the original taking in over $150 million at the box office, there’s certainly a fan base who will run to its opening weekend — that’s evident with over 13 million having viewed the trailer on YouTube.

9. “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (May 27)

Though it doesn’t have the instant draw of other family-friendly titles coming out this summer, the sequel to Tim Burton’s 2010 “Alice in Wonderland” promises to be visually stunning and wacky.

Burton is only in the producer role this time around, but with Johnny Depp returning as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as Alice, it's the third-most-anticipated family movie, according to the Fandango survey.

Wth the original earning over $1 billion worldwide at the box office in 2010, don’t be surprised if this “Alice” sequel becomes a major earner for Disney this year.

8. “Central Intelligence” (June 17)

There are no two actors more on the rise than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart, so pairing them together in a film makes a lot of sense.

Both have an incredible reach on social media, and their previous movies have had impressive earnings.

Opening the same weekend as “Finding Dory” won’t affect the film's box office since the audience is different, and if it can bring something new to the buddy-comedy genre, this could be a sleeper hit of the summer.