Marvel’s Iron Man ruled the box office this weekend, bringing in more than $200 million worldwide, grossing an estimated $104.2 million domestically and $96.7 million internationally.
Per Variety:
That gives “Iron Man,” directed by Jon Favreau, the 8th best opening weekend ever, and the second-best debut for a non-sequel after “Spider-Man,” which opened to $114.8 million on the same weekend in 2002.
It’s also the best opening in history for a Paramount live-action release. DreamWorks Animations toon “Shrek the Third” is the only Par film to have opened higher when debuting at $121.6 million last summer.
“Iron Man” is a sizeable victory for Marvel Studios. It’s the first title fully produced and financed under Marvel Studio’s new business plan. Par marketed and distributed the pic.
The movie is being compared to the first Spider-Man, both in terms of box office and critical reviews.
May 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Wow! I knew it would do well, but this is suprisingly good news. Glad to see this film be as good as it was, and then do extremely well on top of it. I enjoyed Iron Man every bit as much as Batman Begins and the first two Spidey movies.
Now I’m curious to see how The Dark Knight will do when it opens. BB had to battle Bat-fatigue after the Schumacher debacles, but interest seems extremely high for TDK, in part because of the goodwill BB earned, and because it just looks pretty great too.
What a great movie summer this should end up being.