It was always going to be big. The question on everyone’s minds for months has, of course, been, How big? And now we know that it’s been astronomically huge. The early numbers are in, and the estimates are showing that Marvel and Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 has taken in a massive $175.3m. in its first weekend in the US, making it the second highest three-day opening of all time.
Joss Whedon’s The Avengers still stands tall in first place, following its $207.4m. debut this time last year. But Iron Man 3 has knocked Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 off from second place, beating out its $169.2m. opening.
Audiences in the US gave the Robert Downey, Jr.-led blockbuster the coveted ‘A’ CinemaScore, which should naturally help to propel its takings in the coming days and weeks.
Its massive debut in the US puts its estimated global cume at $680.1m. in its first twelve days. And whilst it may still be too early to talk about it, I think we could definitely be looking at the year’s first billion dollar movie.
Things kicked off well for Marvel and Disney on Friday, with the film opening to $68.3m. on its first day, holding strong on Saturday for $62.2m., and closing out the weekend nicely on Sunday with an estimated $44.7m.
Iron Man 3 has understandably been bolstered by the fact that it’s essentially a sequel to both The Avengers and Iron Man 2, and that it’s the first instalment in Marvel’s highly anticipated Phase Two, which will continue later this year with Thor: The Dark World.
To have two films within the same franchise hold the top two positions amongst the highest-grossing opening weekends is a real testament to the brilliance of Marvel and everything they’ve been doing over the years with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
If you haven’t seen the film already, now is definitely the time to change that. It’s my favourite film of the year to date, and it has guaranteed itself a spot in my Top 10 Films of the Year list. It is just mind-blowingly immense, and these mammoth box office numbers prove I’m not the only one who thinks so. For now, here’s the immense first trailer to get you in the mood.
[yframe url=’www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_h95mEd4TI’]
