Summer blockbusters get a head start

Captain America is throwing his shield and bringing in the global dough...

Spider-Man is busy spinning his web to mediocre reviews...

And Angelina Jolie is about to cast her spell in Maleficient.

Big names and superheroes mean one thing: Hollywood summer blockbuster season - but wait - Memorial Day is still weeks away.

Tinsel Town's most lucrative time of the year is starting earlier and earlier. One reason: studios are looking to make more money from digital rights during the lazy, hazy days of summer when moviegoers have more time on their hands after they leave the theater, says Rentrak senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.

SOUNDBITE: PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST, RENTRAK (ENGLISH) SAYING:

"The earlier you can start the summer, then you get those movies out on all those digital platforms, home video and the like, as we head into the summer season, that enables the studios to get that product in the theater, then out on the digital