Iron Man - Contributed photos

LOS ANGELES (AP):

The Marvel Comics adaptation, starring Robert Downey Jr as the guy in the metal suit, hauled in US$100.7 million during its opening weekend, and US$104.2 million since debuting last Thursday night, the second-best premiere ever for a non-sequel, according to studio estimates yesterday.

The film also scored overseas with US$96.7 million in 57 countries where it began opening last Wednesday, putting its worldwide total at US$201 million.

The movie, distributed by Paramount, is the first release by Marvel Studios, which has begun financing its own productions after such studio-backed hits as the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four flicks.

"We could not have hoped for a better way for Marvel Studios to blast off," said David Maisel, chairman of the unit, a division of Marvel Entertainment which stands to pull in a greater share of box office receipts and merchandising money by financing movies itself.

Second-place debut

Debuting in second-place with US$15.5 million was Sony's romantic comedy Made of Honor, starring Grey's Anatomy heart-throb Patrick Dempsey as a man who tries to woo his best pal after she asks him to be 'maid of honor' at her wedding.

Iron Man, which won rave reviews from many critics, features Downey as billionaire arms designer Tony Stark, a boozy womaniser who builds a high-tech suit and becomes a superhero, mending his ways after he's taken captive and sees first-hand the devastation his weapons cause.

The film is directed by Jon Favreau, and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.

Despite the huge Iron Man opening, Hollywood's overall business was down, compared to the same weekend last year when Spider-Man 3 had a record debut of US$151.1 million. The top 12 movies took in US$154.1 million, off 15 per cent from a year ago.

"Nonetheless, Iron Man did better than expected," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "This is certainly the shot in the arm the marketplace has needed."

Movie attendance this year is running six per cent behind that of 2007, so the arrival of Iron Man may jump-start the box office as the busy summer season begins.

"If that first May movie is a big hit, it tends to lead to a big summer," said Rob Moore, Paramount vice-chairman. "There hadn't been a big event movie yet this year. So you have the first event movie of summer, and people go 'And I hear it's really good. All right, I'm in'."

Iron Man was the 10th-biggest opening of all time and the fourth biggest for a superhero movie. Among non-sequels, it came in behind only the first Spider-Man, which premiered with $114.8 million.

"If we have to, we're happy to come in second to another Marvel property," Maisel said. "It emphasises how lucky we are to have such a powerful brand that's not loved by just comic book fans but also general movie fans."

The next Marvel production arrives in June, The Incredible Hulk, distributed by Universal and starring Edward Norton.

In limited release, David Mamet's martial arts drama Redbelt opened solidly with US$68,646 in six theatres. Released by Sony Pictures Classics, Redbelt stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as an honourable instructor caught up in corruption in the world of mixed martial arts competitions.

Paramount Vantage's Son of Rambow, a comic tale of two British boys making their own Rambo movie, also opened well with US$52,549 in five theatres.

Estimated ticket sales last Friday through yesterday at US and Canadian theatres, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released today.

Robert Downey Jr (left) plays billionaire industrialist Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and Terrence Howard his close friend Rhodey, in the movie 'Iron Man'.

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