by Jacob Hirsohn, staff writer

It has been an unbelievably eventful year in movies already. With the incredible box office performances of “The Hunger Games” ($152 million opening weekend) and the earth-shattering “The Avengers” ($200 million opening weekend), everyone in the movie industry is amped, and it isn’t even summer yet.

Let’s cut to the chase then. Here are my top 8 most anticipated movies for the summer of 2012:

1. “The Dark Knight Rises”  Sorry ladies and gentlemen if this one feels a little too obvious, but there is no way around it.

Given the three mind-blowing trailers, and the fact that “The Dark Knight” was my favorite movie of all time for the majority of the last three years, there was no doubt in my mind that this movie had to top the list.

Add in an all-star cast, and you’ve got me optimistic for Batman’s very belated breakthrough at the Oscar. Release date: July 20.

2. “To Rome With Love” Woody Allen’s latest doesn’t carry quite the box office weight of my top pick, but it shouldn’t be too far behind in quality.

Last year’s “Midnight in Paris” was confirmation of a late career resurgence for the brilliant writer-director, and don’t expect his Rome-based follow-up to be a step backwards. The many brilliant members of the cast are overshadowed by the fact that the man himself, Woody Allen, will be acting again for the first time in six years. The dude is my idol and I can’t wait to see him on screen again. Limited release date: June 22.

3. “Moonrise Kingdom” Written and directed by Wes Anderson, “Moonrise Kingdom” comes packed with arguably the best ensemble cast in a summer filled with great ones.

Following the story of a young boy and girl escaped from summer camp, and the search committee formed in order to find them, “Moonrise” will give Anderson another chance to show off his unique and beautiful style. Limited release date: May 25.

4. “Prometheus” I was not a part of the crowd buzzing about “Promtheus” when it was announced about a year ago. Much to my dismay, I have never actually seen a movie from director Ridley Scott (“Alien,” “Gladiator”). But that didn’t matter once the first trailer dropped.

The trailer is more exciting and engrossing than many movies I have seen in the last year. Sporting yet another amazing ensemble cast, featuring Michael Fassbender (“Shame”) coming off a proficient 2011, and Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (“Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”), this “Alien” prequel is set to be a winner. Release date: June 8.

5. “Only God Forgives” I will admit, calling this a “summer movie” is a little bit optimistic. The release date is still up in the air, but the film is currently in post-production, and my guess is it will debut at a film festival sometime in early September.

Frankly, I can’t resist putting this on here. “Only God Forgives” is the second collaboration between director Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling. The first of those collaborations was last year’s “Drive,” my favorite movie of all-time. Gosling plays an underground boxer in Thailand and you guys, it’s going to be awesome. Release date: Unknown.

6. “Lawless” This film has flown under my radar until just recently, and I’m not sure how. It’s placed in a fascinating era in a fascinating place, depression-era Virginia, and has an exciting and intriguing cast.

Starring Jessica Chastain, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, and Shia LeBeouf  (Yeah, you heard me, Shia LeBeouf), this should make for a great movie that will probably get overlooked. I’m mostly excited for LeBeouf to get some good material. Limited release date: Aug. 31.

7. “Looper”  The new release from acclaimed director Rian Johnson stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, set to have the biggest summer he could imagine, and Bruce Willis, looking to star in some good movies all of a sudden. It has a heck of a clever time travel premise and I hope it manages to do some unexpected business at the box office. Release date: Sept. 28.

8. “Safety Not Guranteed” This is a movie about time travel starring the brilliant Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) and it could be very, very funny.

I am madly in love with Plaza and will likely enjoy this no matter what, but from the looks of the trailer it should be quite good.

It won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance back in January. Limited release date: June 8.