HOW SUPER WILL IRON MAN 3 BE AT WEEKEND BOX OFFICE?

Iron Man 3 opens in North America this weekend after already taking in $308 million overseas. With that kind of momentum, analysts say, the Disney/Marvel sequel could very well take in close to $200 million domestically and may even beat the $207 million benchmark set by The Avengers over the same weekend a year ago. (According to online ticket sellers Fandango, the movie is raking in about what The Avengers did in presales a year ago.) Most industry forecasters are not predicting that Iron Man 3 will exceed The Avengers‘ take; they figure it to earn around $165 to $185 million. But Ray Subers of BoxOfficeMojo.com points out “With very few exceptions, the third entry in an ongoing franchise winds up grossing less than its predecessor, no matter how well-liked the predecessor was.” He’s predicting it will earn $177 million. No other film at the box office is likely to earn even $10 million, he indicated.