By Steven Snyder
The summer movie season is already well underway with such blockbusters as Van Helsing, Troy and Shrek 2. And if history is any indicator, things will only heat up more in June and July.

But every summer there are a number of lesser-known and lesser-marketed films that emerge as the surprise hits of the season. One such example is The Fast and the Furious, which shocked the industry in 2001 and launched the career of a young Vin Diesel.

In 2004, however, the calendar is dominated by sequels and franchises, making it that much more difficult for smaller films to steal business away from the Harry Potter or Spider-Man franchises.
Here are my predictions for the five surprise summer hits of ’04:

1.The Terminal, opening June 18, is the newest collaboration between Tom Hanks (The Ladykillers) and director Steven Spielberg (Minority Report), about an immigrant who finds himself stranded in an airport terminal. A romantic comedy, starring both Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it should be a sure-fire box office champ.

2.Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, also opening the 18th, stars Ben Stiller (Starsky & Hutch) and Vince Vaughn (Old School) as friends who compete in a dodgeball tournament to save their favorite gym. It might just be crazy enough to win over audiences.

3.Anchorman, opening July 9, stars Will Ferrell (Elf) as an eccentric local TV anchorman who finds himself threatened by a new female anchorwoman (Chirstina Applegate) who actually knows something about the job. Never underestimate the audience appeal of the rising Ferrell.

4.The Village, opening July 30, may not be enjoying much buzz right now, but rest assured you’ll hear plenty about it in the upcoming weeks. It is the newest film from director sensation M. Night Shyamalan (Signs), about a rural Pennsylvania town in 1897, surrounded by woods inhabited by “mythical creatures.”

5.Alien vs. Predator, opening August 13, pits two of cinema’s most popular sci-fi franchises against each other. It is a project that has been talked about by fans of the series for years.

Have a different slant on this summer's films? E-mail me at steve@zertinet.com