IRON MAN 3 LIKELY TO BECOME TOP THREEQUEL

With a worldwide total of nearly $700 million in just twelve days, it now appears likely that Iron Man 3 will become the most successful “threequel” in box-office history. The record is currently held by the third installment of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which earned $1.12 billion worldwide in 2003. Over the weekend, Iron Man 3 debuted domestically with the second-biggest opening-weekend total ever — $174.1 million, eclipsed only by last year’s The Avengers with $207.4 million. How big was Iron Man‘s victory? Well, consider the fact that the other nine films in the top-ten box-office list earned a combined $69 million. Last week’s winner, Paramount’s Pain & Gain, tumbled 63 percent to $7.5 million. IMAX, which sold out seats at virtually every location, accounted for $16.5 million of the Iron Man 3 total, setting a new record. Last year’s The Avengers earned $15.3 million at IMAX locations. Nevertheless, the overall box office was down 15.6 percent from a year ago. For the year as a whole, revenue at the cinema is down 11 percent, while attendance is down 10.75 percent.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Box Office Mojo (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. Iron Man 3, Disney, $174,144,585, (New); 2. Pain & Gain, Paramount, $7,511,315, 2 Wks. ($33,830,390); 3. 42, Warner Bros., $6,055,327, 4 Wks. ($78,181,097); 4. Oblivion, Universal, $5,642,335, 3 Wks. ($75,814,250); 5. The Croods, Fox, $4,202,639, 7 Wks. ($168,720,798); 6. The Big Wedding, Lionsgate, $3,881,857, 2 Wks. ($14,216,422); 7. Mud, Roadside Attractions, $2,160,319, 2 Wks. ($5,168,217); 8. Oz The Great and Powerful, Disney, $2,113,009, 9 Wks. ($228,858,941); 9. Scary Movie 5, Weinstein Co. $1,441,360, 4 Wks. ($29,609,668); 10. The Place Beyond the Pines, Focus, $1,280,152, 6 Wks. ($18,676,792).