Friday Report: 'Iron Man 2' Out-Guns Predecessor on First Day
Powering past its predecessor's opening day, Iron Man 2 took off with an estimated $52.4 million on Friday, playing on approximately 10,000 screens at a record 4,380 locations. The first Iron Man claimed $35.2 million (or $38.7 million including its Thursday night previews) on its first day two years ago.
On the all time chart, Iron Man 2 landed with the seventh highest-grossing opening day of all time, trailing Spider-Man 3, which had the biggest May day with $59.8 million. In terms of estimated attendance, Iron Man 2's opening day would rank tenth of all time, right behind the first Spider-Man. The sequel set a 2D IMAX opening day record with $4.1 million at 181 IMAX sites (included in the gross), surpassing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's $3.95 million.
Should Iron Man 2 follow a similar pattern to the first Iron Man or Spider-Man 3, its opening weekend would come in at over $130 million, likely ranking fifth behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Iron Man 2 had an over 80 percent market share on Friday, which means there was little going on beneath it. Last weekend's top grosser, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), plummeted 79 percent to an estimated $3.3 million in second place. The drop was worse than Freddy Vs. Jason and Halloween (2007) at the same point but better than Friday the 13th (2009). Its total reached $42.7 million in eight days, which was comparable to the Halloween remake through the same point adjusted for ticket price inflation.
Date Night had the best hold among nationwide releases, down 35 percent to an estimated $1.6 million and lifting its tally to $77.2 million in 29 days. How to Train Your Dragon saw its biggest Friday hit yet after relinquishing its IMAX screens to Iron Man 2. It fell 41 percent to an estimated $1.5 million for a $195.8 million total in 43 days. The Back-Up Plan had another standard drop, off 41 percent to an estimated $1.4 million for a $26.5 million total in 15 days, while Furry Vengeance lacked traction with its 50 percent decline to an estimated $880,000 for an $8.5 million tally in eight days.
Related Story
• Weekend Briefing: 'Iron Man 2' Mines Same Material as First Movie
Related Chart
• Daily Grosses for Friday, May 7
On the all time chart, Iron Man 2 landed with the seventh highest-grossing opening day of all time, trailing Spider-Man 3, which had the biggest May day with $59.8 million. In terms of estimated attendance, Iron Man 2's opening day would rank tenth of all time, right behind the first Spider-Man. The sequel set a 2D IMAX opening day record with $4.1 million at 181 IMAX sites (included in the gross), surpassing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's $3.95 million.
Should Iron Man 2 follow a similar pattern to the first Iron Man or Spider-Man 3, its opening weekend would come in at over $130 million, likely ranking fifth behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Iron Man 2 had an over 80 percent market share on Friday, which means there was little going on beneath it. Last weekend's top grosser, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), plummeted 79 percent to an estimated $3.3 million in second place. The drop was worse than Freddy Vs. Jason and Halloween (2007) at the same point but better than Friday the 13th (2009). Its total reached $42.7 million in eight days, which was comparable to the Halloween remake through the same point adjusted for ticket price inflation.
Date Night had the best hold among nationwide releases, down 35 percent to an estimated $1.6 million and lifting its tally to $77.2 million in 29 days. How to Train Your Dragon saw its biggest Friday hit yet after relinquishing its IMAX screens to Iron Man 2. It fell 41 percent to an estimated $1.5 million for a $195.8 million total in 43 days. The Back-Up Plan had another standard drop, off 41 percent to an estimated $1.4 million for a $26.5 million total in 15 days, while Furry Vengeance lacked traction with its 50 percent decline to an estimated $880,000 for an $8.5 million tally in eight days.
Related Story
• Weekend Briefing: 'Iron Man 2' Mines Same Material as First Movie
Related Chart
• Daily Grosses for Friday, May 7
