The summer movie season gets underway Friday, May 4th, with the release of what will probably end up as one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

Marvel's The Avengers features several popular superheroes, including Iron Man, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk. They are brought together by a peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to protect the planet from the villain Loki -- the adopted brother of Thor -- and his army.

The Avengers stars Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man; Chris Evans as Captain America; Mark Ruffalo as The Incredible Hulk; Chris Hemsworth as Thor; Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye; Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow; Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury; and Tom Hiddleston as Loki.

The Avengers, the only movie opening in wide release this weekend, is screening in 3D. The film is rated PG-13.

Box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian is confident that The Avengers will make more than 150 million dollars this weekend, but he's not sure if it will surpass the current record for a debut weekend: 170 million, set last year by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. He says, "That's a big number. But if any movie could do this, especially propelled by 3D ticket prices, it would be The Avengers."

Provided by ABC News Radio