Friday Estimates: Iron Man Opens with Strong $34.5 Million

May 3, 2008

After attracting an estimated $5.1 million from previews on Thursday, Iron Man opened in all theaters on Friday and earned a giant $34.5 million, according to our estimates. That's going to make it about the 25th-biggest day of all time (see complete list) and either the second- or third-best performance by a non-sequel. Spider-Man holds the record in that category with a $39.4 million opening day back in 2002, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone made $33.5 million when it opened in 2001.

If Iron Man can maintain a similar pace through the weekend, it will earn something between $90 million and $100 million. Saturday's performance will be key, but strong reviews suggest it has a good shot at a final number in that range.

Against that kind of competition, Made of Honor won't be making many headlines, but it did open with a respectable $5.4 million, putting it on course for a weekend in the mid-teens.

- Friday Estimates

Filed under: Friday Estimates, Iron Man, Made of Honor