Weekend Box Office: Iron Man 3 Opens to Truly Heroic Numbers

By Chris Kavan - 05/05/13 at 11:42 PM CT

Without much in the way of competition, and fresh off the heels of last year's record-breaking Avengers film, all eyes were on Iron Man 3 this weekend. Well, maybe not all eyes, but 82% of the top 12 films total grosses came from that one movie and, with foreign totals continuing to bring in big money, it shouldn't take it too long to become the first $1 billion film of 2013. It bodes well for the so-called Phase 2 films that Marvel is rolling out.

1) IRON MAN 3

How good was Iron Man 3 this weekend? It's $175.3 million opening is second only to The Avengers ($207.4 million) opening and proves that super hero movies aren't going to go away any time soon. It was a nice change of pace, as Iron Man 2 was considered a step down from the original film and brought in $128.1 million in its first weekend. Audiences responded well, giving the film an A cinemascore, meaning it should hold up well for the rest of the month, even with stiff competition from the likes of Star Trek, Fast 6 and Hangover III all upcoming.

The film was helped by a 42% from 3D sales (off a bit from the 55% The Avengers took in) and IMAX brought in a nice $16.5 million as well. As it stands, the film will end up with anywhere from $475-$500 million and, with an additional $500 million from foreign sales already, it will have no problem crossing the $1 billion mark worldwide. While other Phase 2 films Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: Winter Soldier aren't likely to bring in such hefty numbers, this should still provide some boost to the other super heroes and even Man of Steel could see improved numbers because of the hero hype going on. One this is for certain, if Robert Doweny Jr. decides to give Iron Man a rest - he's going out on top.

2) PAIN & GAIN

Not surprisingly, with Iron Man 3 getting all the attention, the rest of the top five looks pretty unremarkable. Falling 63% from the onslaught of The Mandarin (and Tony Stark), Michael Bay's juiced out action/comedy/crime flick took in $7.6 million to wind up with $33.9 million total. That number isn't going to make anyone shout, but with a modest (by Bay standards) $26 million budget, it's still looking to make a profit.

3) 42

The Jackie Robinson biopic continued to hold up pretty well after four weeks out. Dropping just 41.7%, the film retained its third place position, earning another $6.2 million and jumping passed the $75 million mark with a $78.3 million final tally. It may just reach that $100 million mark yet, though it will have to work for it.

4) OBLIVION

Suffering the biggest hit due the the Iron Man effect, the Tom Cruise sci-fi film took a steep 67.4% hit, dropping to fourth with $5.79 million. The film also crossed the $75 million mark - just so - with a $75.9 million total. With the real blockbusters approaching, it's looking like Oblivion will ultimately fall short of $100 million itself - and will have to rely on foreign support to get back its $120 million budget.

5) THE CROODS

Although it was one of the highest grossing films of the year, Iron Man 3 managed to shoot past in on opening weekend. Still, the family-friendly caveman film has had a nice seven-week run - still in the top five after so long. Adding $4.2 million to the bank, the comedy now stands at $168.7 million and is knocking on the $175 million mark.

Outside the top five: adding in 213 theaters to its count, the Matthew McConaughey drama Mud jumped from 11th to 7th place, taking in $2.15 million (down a scant 3%) and raising its total to $5.1 million. The film should top off at around $10 million - which, for an indie-type film, is going to look pretty good.

Next week Baz Luhrmann brings his trademark touch to another classic period piece when The Great Gatsby premieres. We also have Craig Robinson (of The Office fame) finally taking center stage in Peeples. While Gatsby has me interested, I actually have more interest in seeing how Iron Man 3 holds up after such a glorious opening weekend.

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