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‘Iron’-clad victory at box office |
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Written by Dwayne Robinson
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Monday, 05 May 2008 |
The summer blockbuster movie season is here.
Marvel Comic’s “Iron Man” had a $100 million opening weekend, destroying its competition, CinemaBlend.com reports.
The second place movie – something called “Made of Honor” – had just $15.5 million.
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., as billionaire playboy and arms manufacturer Tony Stark, “Iron Man” was marketed as a new type of superhero flick, a grown-up action adventure. And how did Paramount Pictures cement this view? Hiring Gwyneth Paltrow (along with Downey, of course). And, it worked.
Next weekend, the live-action, CGI-heavy “Speed Racer” opens wide with that kid from “The Girl Next Door (2004)” playing lead. My bets are on “Iron Man” keeping the box office crown.
I’d be willing to bet the film stay’s the box office leader until May 16 – the opening date for “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.” Judging from its trailer, “Caspian” appears to be better than the original film release in the "Chronicles of Narnia" film series, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” What’s interesting, though, is that marketers are not playing up the religious imagery and undertones of the “Narnia” tales with the sequel as much as they did during the release of “Wardrobe.”
Plus, the studio is opening it during the summer movie season, not the December, religious holiday season, an indication, perhaps, that studio execs see this film as having a broader appeal. We will see.
Here is the rest of the weekend box office:
1. Iron Man * $101M
2. Made of Honor * $15.5M
3. Baby Mama $10M
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall $6M
5. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay $6M
6. The Forbidden Kingdom $4M
7. Nim's Island $2.8M
8. Prom Night $2.5M
9. 21 $2M
10. 88 Minutes $1.6M
[CinemaBlend.com, AOL Movies]
Dwayne Robinson, a TheSequitur.com assistant managing editor, is a journalist in south Florida.
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