Print IRON MAN 2 Takes Down HOOD

This weekend’s box office race consisted of very different choices for audiences looking to spend their hard-earned cash. It was a battle between new age technology versus bow & arrow-focused mayhem. High flying explosions versus political intrigue. A comic superhero versus one legendary icon. In short, who would win? Marvel Studios’ sequel Iron Man 2 or Universal Pictures’ remake of Robin Hood.

Going by both the domestic and international box office races, it was a case of splitting the winnings amongst the both of them, with Jon Favreau’s comic sequel winning the domestic race for its second weekend in a row while Ridley Scott’s remake of “Hood” took down the victory at the foreign markets.

Iron Man 2 dropped 59% but still maintained the 1^st place spot by grabbing another $53.0 million over its second frame, increasing its domestic cume to $212.1 million after 10 days of release. This has the sequel’s numbers up in as many weeks as the first film’s release, which had $177.8 million after two weekends back in 2008.

Overseas, it grabbed another $31 million in its third foreign weekend, raising its offshore gross total to date to $245 million. Produced on a budget of $200 million, the Robert Downey Jr. release has earned $457.1 million worldwide.

Universal’s Robin Hood opened domestically into 2^nd place with the film taking in $37.1 million over its first three days of release. This has the film hitting the lower end of pre-release projections but as said above, it did win the foreign race this weekend by pulling in $74 million from 6,944 screens in 56 markets. This is the second biggest international opener for Universal, behind the $84.3 million debut gross compiled by their 2005 King Kong remake.

Combined together, “Hood” earned $111.1 million over its first three days. The studio has set the budget at $200 million so it still needs a few decent domestic showings before it can overcome its average debut performance.

In a sign of catering to the alternative demographics, Summit Entertainment and Fox Searchlight opened two romance-driven vehicles which took down the 3^rd and 4^th places, respectively. Summit’s Letters to Juliet earned $13.7 million in its opening frame while Fox’s Just Wright grabbed an estimated $8.5 million in coin.

Still showing signs of life is DreamWorks’ very successful spring release of How to Train Your Dragon. Their film has controlled the 3D market since opening up eight weeks ago, with the film taking down another $5.1 million for the 5^th place spot. Produced on $165 million, it has taken in $415.5 million worldwide.

Rank	Movie	Weekend	Theaters	Average	Total	Budget
1	Iron Man 2	$53.0 mil	4,390	$12,073	$212.1 mil	$200
2	Robin Hood	$37.1 mil	3,503	$10,595	$37.1 mil	$200
3	Letters to Juliet	$13.7 mil	2,968	$4,633	$13.7 mil	----
4	Just Wright	$8.5 mil	1,831	$4,642	$8.5 mil	----
5	How to Train Your Dragon	$5.1 mil	2,620	$1,954	$207.7 mil	$165
6	A Nightmare on Elm Street	$4.7 mil	3,075	$1,528	$56.1 mil	$35
7	Date Night	$4.0 mil	2,481	$1,612	$86.6 mil	$55
8	The Back-Up Plan	$2.4 mil	2,497	$987	$34.2 mil	$35
9	Furry Vengeance	$2.3 mil	2,695	$853	$15.1 mil	$35
10	Clash of the Titans	$1.2 mil	1,300	$965	$160.1 mil	$125

As we’ve done the past few summers, we’ll begin gathering the numbers and ranking them as they’re released down below. The list will continue to grow and be ranked from highest worldwide (top) to lowest (bottom).

We’re still way too early into the summer box office season but as with any early May release, Iron Man 2 is looking to be the one to beat from a numbers game. Insiders believe The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has a shot but this will be the franchise’s first summer release so we’ll see how it does in its opening bow through the July 4^th festivities.

IRON MAN 2 Takes Down HOOD (Mania.com)