The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend. Click here for the full box office estimates of the top 12 films and then check back on Monday for the final figures based on actual box office.
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 2 debuted to an estimated $133.6 million in a record 4,380 North American theaters this weekend – an average of $30,502 per theater. The opening marks the fifth-highest of all time domestically, surpassing Shrek the Third‘s $121.6 million and is the second-best opening ever for a film in May, trailing only Spider-Man 3‘s $151.1 million. On Friday, the Jon Favreau-directed sequel took in $52.3 million, which marks the seventh-best opening day, surpassing the $50 million earned by Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Of the total, $10.2 million came from IMAX theaters, a new record for an IMAX 2D release, passing up the $8.5 million debut of Star Trek last year. The original Iron Man opened to $98.6 million domestically in 2008 and went on to earn $318.4 million in North America.
Internationally, Iron Man 2 added $57.2 million this weekend to take its overseas total to $194 million. The film has earned $327.6 million worldwide since it began rolling out on April 28th. The original Iron Man collected $266.7 million internationally and made $585.1 million worldwide.
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Garry Shandling, John Slattery and Clark Gregg, the sequel cost between $170 million and $180 million to make.
At the domestic box office, New Line/Warner Bros.’ A Nightmare on Elm Street suffered a large 72.1% drop in ticket sales. The Samuel Bayer-directed remake, starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger, earned $9.2 million to bring its two-week total to $48.5 million. The horror film cost about $35 million to make.
DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon continued to do well its seventh weekend, adding another $6.8 million. Produced for about $165 million, the animated hit has earned $201.1 million domestically. Internationally, the film has taken in $212 million for a worldwide total of $413.1 million.
20th Century Fox comedy Date Night also continued its strong run with an additional $5.3 million and a five-week total of $80.9 million. It was made for $55 million.
CBS Films’ The Back-up Plan rounded out the top five with $4.3 million for a total of $29.4 million and was followed closely by Summit Entertainment’s Furry Vengeance with $4 million. The latter has earned $11.6 million in two weeks.
Other newcomers included Focus Features’ Babies, which brought in $1.6 million from 534 theaters, and Sony Pictures Classics’ Mother and Child, which earned $44,400 from just four theaters.
Click here for the full box office results of the top 12 films.
