Sequel surpasses first ‘Iron Man’ debut, but fails to beat ‘The Dark Knight’ for best opening weekend. By Josh Wigler Robert Downey Jr. in “Iron Man 2” Photo: Paramount #1 “Iron Man 2” ($133.6 million) #2 “A Nightmare on Elm Street” ($9.2 million) #3 “Date Night” ($6.8 million) #4 “How to Train Your Dragon” ($5.3 million) #5 “The Back-Up Plan” ($4.3 million) With repulsor rays armed to their fullest capacity, “Iron Man 2” burst off the ground and onto the big screen this weekend with all of the action and adventure a moviegoer would expect from Marvel Studios’ premier franchise. The result was an extraordinary $133.6 million weekend, Paramount Pictures’ single best debut of all time, as well as the fifth-best opening weekend in Hollywood history. “Iron Man 2” began the weekend with an impressive $7.5 million start from 2,500 midnight showings on Thursday, expanding into a record-breaking 4,380 screens on Friday morning. But the records ended there, as “Iron Man 2” was unable to dethrone “The Dark Knight” ($158 million) for the best opening weekend of all time. Still, the Robert Downey Jr.-starring sequel was able to outperform its own predecessor, which earned $98.6 million during its first weekend in theaters in 2008. In addition to its performance at the domestic box office, “Iron Man 2” earned a solid $57.2 million overseas from more than 10,000 theaters, bringing the film’s foreign intake to $194 million and its global total to $327.6 million. Given its reported $200 million production budget, “Iron Man 2” didn’t need to break any records this weekend in order to solidify its status as a highly lucrative endeavor for Marvel Studios. A success in and of itself, “Iron Man 2” also represents a comeback of sorts for comic book films in general, as recent efforts “Kick-Ass” and “The Losers” failed to light up the box office as many had expected. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” fell from first to second place this weekend with $9.2 million, a miniscule result compared to the might of “Iron Man 2.” “Date Night,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “The Back-Up Plan” rounded out the top five. Upcoming Releases Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe return to medieval times with “Robin Hood” next weekend, while Summit Entertainment writes “Letters to Juliet” and Queen Latifah performs “Just Wright.” Check out everything we’ve got on “Iron Man 2.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Iron Man 2′ MTV News’ Three To See Gear Up For ‘Iron Man 2’ With These New Clips Related Photos ‘Iron Man 2’ ‘Iron Man 2’ Premieres In Los Angeles
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‘Iron Man 2’ Blasts Away Box-Office Competition
