Iron Man destroys weekend box office
The Paramount-Marvel Iron Man movie surpassed the weekend’s $85 million box office expectations to take in a gigantic $100 million over its first three days, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. The superheroic romp, starring long-troubled box office star Robert Downey Jr. as a superhero with a substance abuse problem, proved to be the perfect fit between actor and character, and it’s aggressive over-expectations box office performance almost guarantees a sequel.
The move cost over $140 million to make, but with all US and foreign box office calculated to date, the studio has already raked in $200 million since its Friday global debut, with about $104 million from all US receipts (the movie debuted a day early in select markets) and over $96 million overseas.
With 96 percent of reviewers giving the film either an A or a B, it is the best-reviewed and highest-grossing superhero flick since Spider-Man, and easily places the film as the second-best Marvel superhero franchise to date, surpassing X-Men and Fantastic Four, as well as many others.
You can bet Downey, who has revived his career with this roll and these box office results, will be asking for and receiving travel trailers full of money for the inevitable sequels this film seems sure to inspire. While true to the spirit of the comic book, Iron Man’s origin was updated from its Cold War roots to a contemporary War on Terror setting, which may have also played a part in the film’s wide appeal.
Behind Iron Man, Made of Honor came in a distant second with $15 million in its first week, well below even half of its modest $40 million budget. Baby Mama came in third with over $10 million and Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay round out the top five with around $6 million each.
Box office receipts are sure to show more vitality in the top five next week, when Speed Racer joins the May race of the early summer blockbusters.
Tags: Iron Man, travel trailers, Weekend box office
