Summer movie preview:  'Indiana Jones,' 'Transformers,' 'Mission: Impossible' and 31 more

The Autobots versus the Predacons, The Flash versus General Zod, Indiana Jones versus more Nazis – those are just a few of the big-budget battles we’ll see during this year’s busy summer movie season.

But if one smackdown illustrates just how crowded the summer has become, it’s “Barbie” versus “Oppenheimer.”

That’s right: On July 21, Greta Gerwig’s candy-colored comedy about a living doll (Margot Robbie) will open against Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus about the theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). It’s the kind of counter-programming move that studios rarely risked during the pandemic, when diminished audiences could barely support one major movie per weekend. It’s also a possible sign that Hollywood believes the pandemic is finally fading and moviegoers are once again plentiful enough to split between titles.

We might not see another billion-dollar smash like last summer’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” but we could be in for something like a dozen big hits. Among the likely candidates: Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” Vin Diesel’s “Fast X” and the return of Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” According to Fandango, which polled 6,000 moviegoers, interest is high in “The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller as the speedy superhero, and Disney’s “Haunted Mansion,” as well.

Here are 34 big movies coming this summer:

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 (May 5)

Marvel’s misfit superheroes return with a new mission, a new version of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) and a new classic-rock soundtrack. With Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista and the voice of Bradley Cooper.

FAST X (May 19)

“The End of the Road Begins,” or so says the tagline for this tenth installment of Vin Diesel’s blockbuster franchise. Jason Momoa joins the cast as a new villain, Dante. Directed by Louis Leterrier (“Now You See Me”).

THE LITTLE MERMAID (May 26)

Disney’s animated favorite from 1989 is now a live-action musical starring young actress-singer Halle Bailey as Princess Ariel. With Melissa McCarthy, Awkwafina and Daveed Diggs. Rob Marshall (“Mary Poppins Returns”) directs.

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (June 2)

The further animated adventures of teen superhero Miles Morales (the voice of Shameik Moore). The previous film, from 2018, was a critical and commercial smash that earned more than $380 million.

TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS (June 9)

Humans and Autobots must battle an army of robotic jungle animals. Film No. Seven in the franchise features Anthony Ramos, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson.

THE BLACKENING (June 16)

“If the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?” That’s the wry tag line for this horror-comedy about a Juneteenth celebration that turns into a nightmare. With Grace Byers and Jay Pharoah. Directed by Tim Story (“Think Like a Man”).

ELEMENTAL (June 16)

Disney-Pixar’s latest, set in Element City, fiery Ember (Leah Lewis) clashes with go-with-the-flow Wade (Mamoudou Athie).

THE FLASH (June 16)

Despite a spate of bad publicity over his off-screen behavior, Ezra Miller will play the fast-moving DC superhero in his first stand-alone film. Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton each play Batman. Andy Muschietti (“It”) directs.

NO HARD FEELINGS (June 23)

Jennifer Lawrence is a cash-strapped Uber driver in Montauk who answers an ad to “date” a clueless teenage boy (Andrew Feldman, of Manhasset). Filming took place on Long Island last fall.

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (June 30)

Harrison Ford, 80, takes up the whip and hat of the swashbuckling archaeologist for the fifth time. With Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen. James Mangold (“Ford v Ferrari”) directs.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (July 12)

Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie reteam – with the usual cast, of course – for a new installment of the dependably spectacular action-franchise.

BARBIE (July 21)

Margot Robbie plays the svelte Mattel doll -- opposite Ryan Gosling as Ken – in this hotly anticipated Warner Bros. project from director Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote with Noah Baumbach.

OPPENHEIMER (July 21)

Writer-director Christopher Nolan turns the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), godfather of the atomic bomb, into an IMAX epic. With Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh and Robert Downey, Jr.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM (Aug. 4)

The latest installment – animated, this time -- in the kid-oriented franchise. Seth Rogen is a producer.

BLUE BEETLE (Aug. 18)

A Latino superhero is born when college grad Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) becomes possessed by the Scarab, an ancient relic of alien biotechnology. With Susan Sarandon and George Lopez.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com