Marvel once again kicks off the summer blockbuster movie season with Iron Man 3 [IRNM3] the third solo outing for the armored superhero played by Robert Downey Jr. [RDOWN]. Although the film is technically a sequel to 2010’s Iron Man 2, the story in Iron Man 3 follows the events of last year’s The Avengers, where Iron Man last made his appearance alongside Thor, Captain America and Hulk. As we all know, The Avengers set the all-time opening weekend record at $207.4 million and was beloved by moviegoers. That exceptional goodwill should overcome the underwhelming after-taste of Iron Man 2, which debuted to $128.1 million three years ago this weekend.
While Iron Man 2 played like a set up for The Avengers, the focus of Iron Man 3 is back squarely on Tony Stark. Gwyneth Paltrow [GPALT] is back as his love interest Pepper Potts while, his most famous comic foe The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley [BKING], finally makes his appearance. Shane Black takes over as director from Jon Favreau, and reviews so far have been overwhelmingly positive. Disney opened the PG-13 rated film first overseas, and the favorable reception has helped to fuel the buzz. The third Batman film The Dark Knight Rises debuted at $160.9 million without the benefit of 3D, though the theater shooting had a small effect. Blasting into 4235 theaters, Iron Man 3 should reach upwards of at least $160 million.
Despite a number one opening, Pain & Gain [PAING] was not well-received even by its older male target audience. The action comedy may lose 55% in its second session to $9 million. Facing competition in its third week of release, Oblivion [OBLVN] looks to drop 55% to $8 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): IRNM3, RDOWN, GPALT, BKING, PAING, OBLVN