Iron Man box office, Disney's $200 million
superhero sequel earned $175.3 million in its first three days in North
America from 4,253 theaters — the second best opening weekend of all
time behind "The Avengers'" $207.4 million bow on this weekend a year
ago.
The film managed a robust
$41,218 per theater average and got a big boost from IMAX screens,
which accounted for $16.5 million of its opening weekend gross. About 45
percent of tickets sold were in the 3-D format.
Like "The Avengers,"
"Iron Man 3" played to a broad spectrum of demographics with a tilt
toward older men. According to Disney, audiences were 55 percent above
the age of 25 and 61 percent male. Disney also reports that couples made
up 52 percent of viewers, while families accounted for 27 percent, and
teens 21 percent.
"Iron Man 3" opened
higher than both "Iron Man" ($98.6 million) and "Iron Man 2" ($128.1
million), which isn't all that surprising given that it's arriving after
"The Avengers," which earned $623.4 million domestically and became the
biggest hit of 2012. It's difficult to imagine that "Iron Man 3" could
have garnered such impressive numbers without the boon of "The Avengers"
— especially because "Iron Man 2" was tepidly received by most viewers
and ultimately finished with less than "Iron Man" ($312.4 million vs.
$318.4 million). It's to Marvel's credit that they were able to augment
interest in the "Iron Man" franchise with "The Avengers."
Dave Hollis, Disney's
head of distribution, says "The Avengers'" popularity has absolutely
played a part in "Iron Man 3's" success — and that it's expected to
boost prospects of both the "Thor" and "Captain America" franchises as
well.
"We sat here a year ago
with 'The Avengers,' and there was speculation of what the impact of
such a big weekend and the coming together of all these heroes might
mean for each of the subsequent films," he says. "[W]e're first-hand
witnessing that the brand is as strong as it's ever been."
He's right about that.
"Iron Man 3" earned a solid "A" CinemaScore, and positive word-of-mouth
could propel the film to a domestic finish in the $400 million range,
though it faces ample competition over the next few weeks from "Star
Trek Into Darkness" and "Fast & Furious 6." Still, "Iron Man 3"
already seems like the probable winner of the summer box office crown.
Globally, "Iron Man 3's"
total stands at an estimated $680.1 million after 12 days of release.
In China, the film's number one international market, it's earned a
stunning $63.5 million after just five days. "Iron Man 3's" $504.8
million international haul already trumps "Iron Man 2's" $311.5 million
international total, and the three-quel appears to be headed for an
overseas gross in line with "The Avengers'" $888.4 million total. ("The
Avengers" ultimately earned $1.5 billion globally.) Basically, "Iron Man
3" is a lock for a finish above $1 billion worldwide, and right now, a
tremendous $1.2 billion total seems likely.
For star Robert Downey
Jr., who portrays wise-cracking billionaire Tony Stark, "Iron Man 3"
marks the latest incredible success in his Hollywood comeback. A little
more than a decade ago, the actor's career appeared dead in the water
due to substance abuse arrests and rehab stints, but he's made a
turnaround that so few troubled stars ever do. Thanks to the success of
the "Iron Man" films, "The Avengers" and the "Sherlock Holmes"
franchise, Downey Jr. has starred in a film that grossed over $500
million globally in each of the last five years.
Of course, there were
some other movies at the box office this weekend, too. Last weekend's
champ, "Pain & Gain," plummeted 63 percent to $7.6 million, bringing
its total to $33.9 million after ten days. While that's not a great
result, the Michael Bay-directed action flick cost just $26 million.
In third place is Warner
Bros.' only hit this year, the baseball drama "42," which brought in
another $6.2 million for a $78.2 million total. The $40 million film may
finish with about $90 million domestically.
Fourth place belonged to
Universal's Tom Cruise vehicle "Oblivion," which fell by a distressing
67 percent to $5.8 million in its third weekend for a $76 million total.
The film has proven exceedingly front-loaded both in the States, where
it opened with $37.1 million just two weeks ago, and overseas.
Worldwide, "Oblivion" has earned $222 million, which likely is not
enough to offset the substantial costs of production ("Oblivion" had a
$120 million budget), distribution, and marketing.
"The Croods," a $135
million Fox-distributed/DreamWorks-made animation, finished in the top
five once again with $4.2 million, marking a drop of 37 percent. After
seven weekends, the caveman comedy has earned $168.7 million (the fact
that "Iron Man 3" surpassed that total in just three days is
remarkable), and now stands as the third-highest grossing domestic
release of 2013 behind "Oz The Great and Powerful" ($228.6 million) and
"Iron Man 3." Worldwide, "The Croods" has earned a whopping $517.9
million.
1. "Iron Man 3" -- $175.3 million
2. "Pain & Gain" -- $7.6 million
3. "42" -- $6.2 million
4. "Oblivion" -- $5.8 million
5. "The Croods" -- $4.2 million
Next week brings the
release of the hotly anticipated adaptation "The Great Gatsby," as well
as Tyler Perry's latest, "Peeples." Neither film is expected to even
come close to "Iron Man 3" in its second weekend.
Iron Man 3 scores at box office news at EW.com.
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