With only two news releases in theaters this weekend, Hollywood will roll out a number of successful summer blockbusters, including the No. 1 film of the year and some of the most acclaimed Indie films of the year.

Guardians of the Galaxy

The biggest release of the week will be Marvel's latest franchise. The comic book adaptation, starring Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt and Bradley Cooper, tells the story of a group of space criminals who must work together to stop the fanatical villain Ronan the Accuser from destroying the galaxy. When the film was released in the summer, it scored rave reviews and ended up being the biggest film of the year. Latin Post gave the film a rave review and said "Marvel Proves Humor Can Have Substance." To date, "Guardians of the Galaxy" has earned $332 million domestically and is likely to remain on top. With a lack of fantasy films in the marketplace, Marvel will definitely get a boost this week.

Dolphin Tale 2

After having failed to generate buzz or traction, Warner Bros will release "Dolphin Tale 2" just in time for the holiday season. The film tells the story of a team of the people who saved Winter's life reassembling in the wake of her surrogate mother's passing in order to find her a companion so she can remain at the Clearwater Marine Hospital. The movie stars Morgan Freeman and reunites many of the characters from the first installment. While it flopped at the box office over the summer, Warner Bros plans to engage family audiences, particularly those who are not interested in the upcoming releases or those who have already seen "Big Hero 6" and "Penguins of Madagascar."

When the Game Stands Tall

The faith-based film, starring Jim Caviezel, tells the story of the legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport. When the movie was released in August, Tristar hoped it would generate audiences from the Christian crowd and sports fans. However, reviews were poor and box office results were mixed. With the holiday season coming up and football season in full swing, perhaps family audiences will pay attention to it.

Calvary

Fox Searchlight's critically acclaimed thriller will be released after a successful box office run. The film, starring Brendan Gleeson, tells the story of a good-natured priest who must battle the dark forces closing in around him after he is threatened during a confession. Gleeson's performance is generating awards attention as he recently won the British Independent Film awards and the Boston Online Film Critics. While Fox Searchlight is downplaying the film's awards potential, the movie will definitely attract adult audiences in search of a good thriller.

Frank

The Oddball comedy about Jon, a young wanna-be musician who discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank, will finally hit DVD. The movie stars Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scott McNairy and was the toast of the festival circuit in the winter. However, when Magnolia released in the summer, audiences did not respond. The critically acclaimed film has enough big stars to attract a large audience on demand and is likely to obtain a cult following.

I Origins

Mike Cahill's second feature tells the story of a molecular biologist and his laboratory partner who uncover evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it. After a phenomenal first feature with "Another Earth," it was expected that "I Origins" would be a big hit. However, the movie failed to resonate, and ultimately underperformed both critically and at the box office. With so many science fiction films in the mark, this film is likely to be ignored. However, it will likely attract Cahill fans.

Related