New in Theaters May 03: Iron Man 3

By Chris Kavan - 05/02/13 at 02:02 PM CT

This weekend will mark the official start of the 2013 summer movie season. Which is funny, because as I write this, it's freakin' snowing outside my window. It probably won't stick around too long, but still... snow in May, that's just wrong. But, thinking warmer thoughts - what better movie to usher in the blockbuster season than a blockbuster super hero. Can you believe it has already been five years since Robert Downey, Jr. reinvented himself and gave us a picture perfect representation of Tony Stark? And now, here we are, the conclusion of an epic trilogy.

IRON MAN 3 Unsurprisingly, Iron Man 3 is the only new film that isn't a limited release film this weekend. I wonder why? Oh, wait - no I don't. This is projected to be one of the biggest movies of the year, with some calling for a weekend in excess of $150 million. The fact the movie opened to a massive foreign debut (even topping The Avengers in that aspect) and garnered solid reviews, means that number is easily within reach. In fact, the movie has already earned $242.1 million without the benefit of a U.S. opening. While it won't be able to top the Avengers $207.4 million opening - for a film anchored by a single star (as opposed to a super ensemble) this should help keep Marvel at the top of the hero food chain. A huge opening will also mean good news for the upcoming Thor and Captain America sequels. The film will also benefit from 3D.


Although I was disappointed in the sequel, I have a good feeling this third entry will help erase the lackluster effort from that film. What I like about what I've seen in previews is it looks like things get personal for Tony and that means there's not just CGI battles going on - but some actual emotional stakes. The downfall of action/fantasy films is that all too often characters are set aside for spectacle. I think that's what happened in the sequel but it looks like Iron Man 3 rights the ship and gives us some meat to chew on. Although Downy Jr. has teased that he's willing to let someone else take over the Iron Man role following Avengers 2 - I don't want him to leave. His personality is just perfect for the role and I want him to stick around as long as humanly possible. Iron Man 3 is going to be huge - the question is just how huge it's going wind up. I'll be back Sunday with the final results - and we'll see if any records can be claimed.

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