Anyone somehow hoping that Iron Man 2 would flop at the box office this weekend, give up-- Friday's early numbers are in, and it's a certified hit. But anyone rooting for The Dark Knight to hang on to its opening-weekend box office record, you're a winner. Deadline Hollywood is projecting that, based on the estimated $52 million Iron Man 2 pulled in last night, it will boast a $130 million or so opening weekend, well below The Dark Knight's $158 million record.
It's also worth noting that Iron Man 2 had the largest release of any movie in history, appearing at 4,308 theaters around the country. You can practically hear Paramount regretting that they didn't just slap 3D on the thing and go ahead and claim the crown-- though hopefully louder are all the fans eternally grateful they didn't have to wear glasses for this one. Iron Man 2's opening weekend will best Iron Man's $102 million by a whole lot, but as we've discussed before, the rules are different for sequels. It's a little awkward that many people, including Marvel President Kevin Feige, were openly hoping to snag the record, but hey, $130 million will help him keep a roof over his head, so who's complaining.
If you're curious, it looks like Nightmare on Elm Street will be at #2 with less than 10% of Iron Man 2's gross. We'll have lots more on the weekend box office in our wrap-up on Sunday night.
