He is Iron Man for a reason. Behind Robert Downey Jr. and the red and gold suit he wears as Iron Man, "Iron Man 3" grossed an estimated $195.3 million from 42 international territories over the weekend, putting it ahead of the pace set by "Marvel's The Avengers," also with Downey in a lead role, last year.
According to Disney, "Iron Man 3" had the biggest opening weekend ever in Argentina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. The film earned $21.5 million in the United Kingdom, $19.2 million in Korea, $18.4 million in Australia, $16.1 million in Mexico and $14.7 million in France. The $195.3 million is more than $100 million more than "Iron Man 2" made during its international bow in 2010. That film, however, was not released in 3D -- though the extra dimension does account for the massive global interest in Tony Stark's latest adventure.
"The surprise is the magnitude of this opening, not necessarily that audiences are responding to the movie,” Disney distribution executive Dave Hollis said in a statement to Variety. “We believe this [opening] to be a strong indication of what will lead to extraordinary word-of-mouth worldwide."
With nearly $200 million already banked, the next step for "Iron Man 3" is its U.S. debut on May 3 (with screenings starting on Thursday night at midnight). In early April, Deadline.com reported that "Iron Man 3" was tracking for a three-day opening of roughly $125 million -- slightly less than the $128 million than "Iron Man 2" started with in 2010. Following the international debut, however, those tracking numbers could be significantly off base. It's possible that "Iron Man 3" could top "Marvel's The Avengers," which earned $207.4 million during its opening weekend last year, for the biggest U.S. opening ever.
Now the question remains whether Downey will return for further "Iron Man" adventures -- or even "Marvel's The Avengers 2," which is due out in theaters in May of 2015. In an interview with GQ, Downey acknowledged that his time wearing a superhero costume could be coming to an end.
"It got me thinking about how big the message from your cosmic sponsor needs to be before you pick it up. How many genre movies can I do? How many follow-ups to a successful follow-up are actually fun? Because, as quiet as it's kept, I come from a family of very innovative writers and directors and actors and artists, and the circle of friends they were in were the people I heard having pun-offs playing poker at two in the morning, and it was just the most comforting aspect of my childhood. So there's this kind of legacy of souls from what I consider to be a very particular time in entertainment, and I'm sensing a return to that—it's what me and the missus are doing next. It's not unlike: I heard Brady signed on for three more years with New England, and then he's done being a QB, because he'll be 40. I'm 47, and I'll be 50."
Downey turns 50 in 2015.
For more on "Iron Man 3," head over to Box Office Mojo.
Loading SlideshowTony Stark is back in "Iron Man 3," which picks up after the events of last summer's "Marvel's The Avengers." Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, Guy Pearce and Don Cheadle all star. Shane Black replaces Favreau behind the camera as director.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel gets the Baz Luhrmann treatment: 3-D and a soundtrack by Jay-Z. (Go all-in, however, on Joel Edgerton's mustache.)
Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington star in the comedy "Peeples," produced and presented by Tyler Perry. (Tina Gordon Chism wrote and directed the film.)
Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho and director J.J. Abrams all return for "Star Trek Into Darkness," the highly anticipated sequel to 2009's "Star Trek." Boldly go, especially with newcomers Alice Eve (as a potential love interest for Kirk) and Benedict Cumberbatch (as a terribly evil villain).
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From "Ice Age" director Chris Wedge comes an action-adventure about good and evil and all that stuff. What you'll want to note is the bananas vocal cast: Beyonce, Pitbull, Steven Tyler, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Aziz Ansari, Christoph Waltz, Chris O'Dowd and Jason Sudeikis.
It all ends. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, John Goodman and Melissa McCarthy star.
The movie that will make you believe a car can drive through the cockpit of an exploding plane.
The third film in Richard Linklater's "Before" franchise (following "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset"), "Before Midnight" is one of 2013's best movies thus far. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reprise their roles, respectively, as Jesse and Celine.
Magic bank robbers! No, really: "Now You See Me" is about magicians who rob banks. The cast is impressive here: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco.
Will and Jaden Smith star in this post-apocalyptic thriller from M. Night Shyamalan.
Alexander Skarsgard, Ellen Page and Brit Marling star in this "Fight Club"-y thriller about environmental terrorists and the law enforcement agent (Marling) who infiltrates their ranks.
Formerly called "Toy's House," "The Kings Of Summer" focuses on three friends who build a house in the woods after running away from home. Think "Stand by Me," "The Goonies" and "The Tree of Life," but with Ron Swanson as co-star. (Nick Offerman plays one of the boys' dads.) This excellent indie debuted at Sundance.
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson reunite for the first time since 2005's "Wedding Crashers" for "The Internship," a comedy about two middle-aged guys taking internships at Google. Is it OK to say that this looks really funny? Cool, thanks.
One week after "Before Midnight," Ethan Hawke also stars in the horror thriller "The Purge," a film about home invasions on steroids.
Joss Whedon takes on Shakespeare in this modern-day adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing." A charming diversion with no superheros in sight.
You'll believe a man can fly. Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Russell Crowe star.
Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera, Emma Watson and dozens of other stars play themselves ("themselves") in Rogen's directorial debut, an all-out, R-rated apocalypse comedy. (Rogen co-wrote and co-directed with Evan Goldberg, his "Superbad" collaborator.) "This Is The End" has the most lol-worthy trailer of the year. (NSFW, of course.)
Sofia Coppola's take on the notorious Burglar Bunch, a group of Los Angeles teens who robbed from stars like Paris Hilton. Emma Watson and this movie for all the wins.
This Sundance hit focuses on famed back-up singers like Darlene Love.
Mike and Sully are back in this prequel to "Monsters, Inc." Expect bank.
Originally set for release last December, "World War Z" finally arrives in theaters this June. Will the Brad Pitt film overcome a troubled production (including last-minute rewrites and reported fights between Pitt and director Marc Forster) and find its audience? Since zombies are so hot right now ("Zoolander" reference), don't bet against that happening.
"The Heat" was supposed to come out on April 5, but Fox was so happy with the film that the studio moved Paul Feig's comedy into the heart of the summer. The red-band trailer, shown here, helps explain that decision. (It's the best.) Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy star.
Channing Tatum (as wannabe Secret Service agent) and Jamie Foxx (as the President of the United States) team up to stop the U.S. government from crumbling from the inside. Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day") directs. Yep, in.
Get excited: This is Pedro Almodovar's first film in two years.
"Despicable Me 2"; or, ka-ching, ka-ching, ka-ching. (It's going to make a lot of money.)
Disney's $250 million gamble: will audiences want to see "The Lone Ranger" with Johnny Depp when Johnny Depp isn't playing "The Lone Ranger"? (He's Tonto.) Gore Verbinksi (the "Pirates" franchise) directs, so don't be surprised if the answer is yes.
Sleeper hit potential: Kevin Hart's last concert film, "Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain," earned a surprise $7.7 million at the box office in 2011.
From Oscar-winning screenwriters Nat Faxon and Jim Rash ("The Descendants"), "The Way Way Back" looks like the type of charming indie that Fox Searchlight normally releases during the summertime. That's probably why the studio spent $10 million to acquire the film -- co-starring Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph and more -- at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
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Michael Cera play an American jerk searching for a mystical high in this Sundance comedy.
This movie is so scary that the MPAA gave it an R-rating despite a lack of violence or bloodshed. Translation: Too scary.
Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds star in this high-concept adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name. From IMDb: "A recently slain cop joins a team of undead police officers working for the Rest in Peace Department and tries to find the man who murdered him."
Since "Red" left so many unanswered questions. (Hey, Helen Mirren!)
Fun with real log lines: "A freak accident might just help an everyday garden snail achieve his biggest dream: winning the Indy 500."
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Hope it's better than "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."
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This again.
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Surprise! This actually looks pretty fun.
Matt Damon and Jodie Foster star in Neill Blomkamp's first film since 2009's "District 9." Get excited now.
Featuring the voices of Dane Cook and Val Kilmer.
Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis and Ed Helms star in this comedy about a pot dealer who uses a family to transport his drug supply into the United States from Mexico.
Lake Bell won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award at Sundance this year for "In A World," a comedy about a vocal coach with dreams of becoming a voice-over artist.
Chloe Moretz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Jim Carrey star in this sequel to "Kick-Ass."
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