Weekend Estimates: Iron Man 2 Leads Off Summer with Fifth Best Opening

May 9, 2010

A prime launch date, inflated ticket prices, and the unbeatable formula of a superhero sequel combined to give Iron Man 2 a massive opening weekend, according to Paramount's estimate, released on Sunday. Their projected $133.6 million would make the movie the fifth-biggest opener of all time, and cements Iron Man's place among the industry's mega-franchises, alongside Batman, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Twilight and Harry Potter.

Our projections actually have Iron Man 2 coming in a little lower than $133.6 million, and Paramount is clearly banking on a good Mother's Day performance, but a million or two here or there won't make much difference in the final analysis.

The rest of the chart had a predictable look to it. Action and horror movies took a hit from the arrival of the Summer's first blockbuster, with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Clash of the Titans, The Losers and Kick-Ass all down 60% or more. Alice in Wonderland also tumbled over 50% as it lost prime screens to Iron Man.

Entertainment with a broader appeal fared better. How to Train Your Dragon topped $200 million with another small drop. Date Night fell only 30% and now stands at over $80 million. New release Babies is projecting a $1.6 million opening in 534 theaters, in part thanks to a big projected performance on Mother's Day.

In limited release, Mother and Child looks like the big winner, with an average comfortably topping $10,000 in four theaters.

- Weekend Estimates
- Friday Estimates
- Saturday Estimates
- Sunday Projections

Filed under: Weekend Estimates, Date Night, The Losers, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Mother and Child, Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Dragon, Iron Man 2, Kick-Ass, Clash of the Titans, Babies