Batman is once again on every corner.

The latest big-screen take on the superhero, “The Dark Knight,” hits theaters July 18. Perhaps its expected success is in part due to national promotions through cell phone service and candy bars; Batman’s hometown, Gotham City, also has a pizza named after it at a national pizza chain.

Much of the movie’s attention stems from the death of one of its stars – Heath Ledger, who plays the Joker. Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January, and a number of movie critics say he could receive a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for his performance.

“The Dark Knight” also features other big-name stars: Christian Bale, Michael Cane, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman, among others.

“Of course, I’m going to see ‘Dark Knight,’” said 15-year-old Cory Langstrom. “I want to go see it at midnight, but I don’t think they [my parents] are going to let me. But yeah, I’m going to see it this weekend. I’ve been waiting all year.”

There’s another he wants to see, too: “The X-Files: I Want to Believe.” But he’ll have to wait another week on that, as it won’t be in theaters until July 25.

The second “X-Files” movie is directed by Chris Carter, and stars David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and Billy Connolly. Langstrom admits he has no idea what the plot will be.

“Well, I don’t know what it will really be about,” he said. “I’ve just seen commercials.”

Brendan Fraser is also lighting up the big screen this summer. He stars in “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which has already been released; and will star in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” with a release date of Aug. 1.

The third “Mummy” installment also features Jet Li, and is directed by Rob Cohen. A plot summarization at the Internet Movie Database, www.imdb.com, reveals that the mummy of the first Emperor of Qin – played by Li – is unearthed by the father-son duo, played by Fraser and Luke Ford.

Other local residents, like Darlene Gray, anxiously await the sequel to “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” expected in theaters in August. Gray will also go see the musical adaptation of “Mamma Mia!” featuring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

“There’s so much you can like with ‘Mamma Mia!,’ whether it’s the cast with Pierce Brosnan or the soundtrack with ABBA,” said Gray. “I love musicals – I’m a fan of ‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘Chicago,’ ‘Hairspray’ – and so I can’t wait. I think it’ll be fun!”

IMDB says the Warner Bros. Pictures’ animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” will hit theaters Aug. 15. “The Perfect Game,” a movie about a 1957 baseball team from Monterrey, Mexico, that was poised to be the first non-U.S. team to win the Little League World Series, will hit theaters Aug. 8.

Already, fans have flocked to see flicks such as “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”; “Hancock,” another superhero movie, this time featuring Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman; a remake of a remake, “The Incredible Hulk,” starring Edward Norton; and “WALL-E,” a Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures movie about a robot that learns there is more to life than cleaning up a planet destroyed by humans.

Others may look to local movie rental stores for the latest releases. The Roland Emmerich flick, “10,000 B.C.,” was released in late June. Comedy aficionados may find fun in “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” available July 29; or “College Road Trip,” now available.