How does that song go? "Summer's here and the time is right ... for going to the movies!"

OK, so that's not how THAT song goes, but summer IS the season when big budget blockbuster rule. It's all about the franchises, the sequels, and the money-makers that some studios hedge their entire annual financial outlooks on.

That is, perhaps, with the exception of Disney, who thanks to films from Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, and Pixar seems to crank out box office smashes no matter what time of year it happens to be.

Disney and Marvel are, of course, kicking off the 2017 summer movie season with perhaps the most eagerly anticipated Marvel film of the three coming out this year, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." It's one of three sequels in the month of May, and easily the one with the loftiest fan and financial expectations.

But it's not the only eagerly anticipated film of the month. Here's a week-by-week breakdown of films to look out for in May.

May 5

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 -- starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, with Slyvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. Directed by James Gunn. This installment of "Guardians" arrives in almost the exact opposite fashion to the way the original film bowed in theaters in 2014. The first film was a gamble of sorts -- Marvel's first foray into storytelling away from Earth, with lots and lots of relatively unfamiliar characters. It opened in August, at the tail end of the summer, and went on to rule the box office well into the fall season.

Now, Disney and Marvel are trusting that lovable 'bunch of A-holes' to launch the summer, and their success is almost a foregone conclusion. The early buzz for the film is very positive, and box office predictors are forecasting a $130 - $150 million opening weekend.

The Dinner - starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall, and Chloe Sevigny. Directed by Oren Moverman. Arriving with decidedly less fanfare, this adaptation of Dutch novelist Herman Koch's bestseller about two brothers and their wives meeting over dinner to discuss a family crisis could be easily missed.

For those who enjoy both film and food as art, it should not be. The film is chock full of riveting performances and beautiful photography. Gere may have top billing, and his performance is strong, but Coogan's is one that might get awards attention later in the year.

May 12

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword -- starring Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, and Eric Bana. Directed by Guy Ritchie. It's hard to imagine a more strikingly different follow-up for Ritchie, coming off his adaptation of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." in 2015, than a sword and sorcery epic built around the rise of England's most famous mythical monarch.

While "U.N.C.L.E." looked groovy throwback cool in its marketing, "King Arthur" looks bleak, devoid of color, and violent, even with a PG-13 rating. It also has the misfortune of following in "Guardians" wake -- all those factors might add up to a less-than-kingly outing for the studio behind this film, Warner Bros.

Snatched -- starring Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Joan Cusack, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, Christopher Meloni. Directed by Katie Dippold. Amy Schumer's latest raunchy comedy might just work as effective counter-programming for the bleak "King Arthur" and "Guardians" going on its second weekend. It's sure to draw fans who loved her 2015 feature film debut, "Trainwreck," and there's a curiosity factor in terms of Hawn, who hasn't headlined a film since 2002's "The Banger Sisters."

20th Century Fox should have modest expectations for this one, particularly because it arrives with an "R" rating (it's Schumer -- of course it does). But an R rating didn't stop "Trainwreck" from being a monster hit, so keep an eye on this one.

May 19

Alien: Covenant -- starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Demian Bichir, Danny McBride. Directed by Ridley Scott. With very strong buzz coming from CinemaCon earlier this year, this latest installment of the "Alien" saga looks to improve on the disappointment that was 2012's "Prometheus." All the potential wasted in that particular clunker will no doubt cloud fans' expectations for "Covenant", even with Ridley Scott at the helm and Michael Fassbender returning.

That said, the film's trailer inspires words like "insane" and "terrifying" -- if the film lives up to what's promised there, this could be the return to gory glory that fans of the series have been waiting for.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul -- starring Jason Drucker, Owen Asztalos, Charlie Wright, Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott. Directed by David Bowers. The fourth film in this family-friendly series features an entirely new cast, for good reason: the cast of the last three films aged out. 20th Century Fox is also behind this film -- the idea seems to be counter-programming for families with kids too young to take the scares in "Alien: Covenant."

That said, these films have more or less been a safe bet for Fox, financially. The first "Diary" made $64 million in 2010, while the third film in the series, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days", made $49 million in 2012. A bit of a break in the series along with some action movie fatigue might just bring audiences around for another go with the Heffley Family.

May 25 - 26

Baywatch -- starring Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera. Directed by Seth Gordon. "The Rock" proclaimed "Baywatch" to be this summer's "funniest, sexiest" movie at CinemaCon in March. While the comely cast certainly has sex appeal, it remains to be seen if this goof on the pop culture classic David Hasselhoff series of the 1990s actually turns out to be "funny."

Reasons to be hopeful? Dwayne Johnson's comedy film ventures tend to be very funny, and "Baywatch" has director Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) going for it, as well. Plus, there's always a chance "the Hoff", Pam Anderson, or Carmen Electra show up in cameos, right?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales -- starring Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin R. McNally, Golshifteh Farahani, David Wenham, Stephen Graham, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush. Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. As long as Johnny Depp still gets a kick out of putting on Captain Jack Sparrow's beaten-up captain's hat and all that eyeliner, it seems Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer will keep making "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. (And judging from Depp showing up at the Disneyland ride in full costume to the delight of riders recently, it certainly seems like he's still enjoying himself.)

Even so, this franchise feels like it should be on its last peg leg. The last entry, 2011's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," made significantly less at the box office for Disney than the previous three, which benefited from consistency in front of and behind the camera. 

This time out, both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are back, along with Depp and Geoffrey Rush -- with the original cast back in place, the series has no better chance of rediscovering its old magic. Audiences passing on this latest "Pirates" yarn might well result in Captain Jack sailing into the sunset for the last time.