Marvel Studio’s “Iron Man 2” soared to the top of the domestic rankings with an estimated $52.4 million in boxoffice from its first day in release on Friday.
That kick-started the summer boxoffice season in auspicious style but quickly muted any further talk of a possible record-breaking weekend for the Robert Downey Jr. starrer. July 2008 opener “The Dark Knight” from Warner Bros. holds the opening-weekend record of $158.4 million, while Paramount-distributed “Iron Man 2” looks likely to land in the $125 million-$135 million range through Sunday.
The Friday tally for “Iron Man 2” — featuring a $4.1 million contribution from 181 Imax venues — included $7.5 million in midnight Thursday coin. The film unspooled earlier abroad and totes $200 million in cumulative worldwide coin including eight days of international grosses.
The sequel to May 2008 opener “Iron Man” cost at least $170 million to produce, with Marvel laying out roughly $75 million in additional marketing expenses. Reviews have been mostly positive, if less than rapturous, potentially helping to sustain weekend momentum for “Iron Man 2” through the Mother’s Day holiday on Sunday.
Elsewhere on Friday, Warner Bros.’ remake of horror pic “A Nightmare on Elm Street” ranked second with $3.3 million and cume of $42.7 million at the start of its sophomore session.
Fox’s action comedy “Date Night” grabbed the bronze medal position among daily grossers, with another $1.6 million shaping a $77.2 million cume on the cusp of its fifth weekend in release.
