Bolstered by tentpole releases Iron Man and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, an already strong May is about to get hotter as Paramount Pictures’ Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull plays on over 4,000 screens in North America this weekend.

The much-anticipated sequel, which opened Thursday, screened to mixed reviews at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this week, though a few prickly reviews will likely not impact what is expected to be a gangbuster opening, according to exhibitors.

‘It will be huge,’ says Pat Marshall of Cineplex.

‘We’re anticipating a big opening,’ adds Dean Leland, VP of marketing for Halifax-based Empire Theatres, pointing to Indiana Jones‘ universal appeal. ‘Kids are looking forward to it, while parents grew up with the originals.’

Directed by Steven Spielberg, the US$185-million sequel finds Dr. Henry ‘Indiana’ Jones (Harrison Ford) on a mission to uncover the secrets behind an artifact in Peru. It also stars Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf.

Meanwhile, Seville Pictures’ This Beautiful City begins an exclusive run at Toronto’s Royal theater on Friday. The debut feature from Toronto’s Ed Gass-Donnelly follows five characters who become connected after a woman plummets from the balcony of her downtown condo. It stars Caroline Cave and Aaron Poole, both of whom garnered ACTRA awards for their performances. There are no plans as of yet to expand.

Also opening in Toronto is the Turkey/Germany copro The Edge of Heaven, which traces the crisscrossing paths of four Turks and two Germans. Distributed by Mongrel Media, Heaven won best screenplay for writer/director Fatih Akin at Cannes last year.

Meanwhile, Peace Arch Entertainment will release the crass action comedy Postal, from controversial director Uwe Boll (In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale), on one screen each in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. It also opens on 12 screens in the U.S.

Based on a video game, the satirical Postal focuses on post-9/11 America and stars Dave Foley (Robson Arms) as a pretend religious fanatic who takes on Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.