'Iron Man' beats strong 'Gatsby' in movie box office showdown

Tony Stark's superpowers lifted blockbuster "Iron Man 3" back to the top of movie charts in the United States and Canada, beating out a strong debut over the weekend for lavish Jazz Age drama "The Great Gatsby."

 

Coming off a gigantic opening a week earlier, "Iron Man 3" commanded $72.5 million in ticket sales from Friday through Sunday in its second weekend. "Gatsby," starring Leonardo DiCaprio as millionaire Jay Gatsby in the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald tale, earned a strong $51.1 million, according to studio estimates.

 

"Iron Man 3" stars Robert Downey Jr. as Stark, a billionaire businessman with a superhero alter ego. The movie from Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios opened last weekend with $174.1 million for the second-biggest movie opening of all time.

 

In distant third place, dark action comedy "Pain & Gain" grossed $5 million. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson as bodybuilders-turned-criminals who kidnap a wealthy deli owner.

 

Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, distributed "The Great Gatsby." "Pain & Gain" was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

 

Following are the top 10 movies at North American box offices for the three-day weekend starting May 10, led by "Iron Man 3,"  according to studio estimates compiled by Reuters.

      

 

1   (1) Iron Man 3.....................................$ 72.5  million

2   (*) The Great Gatsby..........................$ 51.1  million

3   (2) Pain & Gain...................................$  5.0  million

4   (*) Tyler Perry Presents: Peeples.......$  4.9  million

5   (3) 42..................................................$  4.7  million

6   (4) Oblivion.........................................$  3.9  million  

7   (5) The Croods...................................$  3.6  million

8   (6) The Big Wedding..........................$  2.5  million 

9   (7) Mud...............................................$  2.4  million

10  (8) Oz the Great and Powerful...........$  0.8  million

            

 

    NOTES: (*) = new release

 

CUMULATIVE TOTALS:
 

Iron Man 3...........................................$  284.9  million     

Oz the Great and Powerful..................$  230.0  million

The Croods.........................................$  173.2  million

42........................................................$   84.7  million

Oblivion...............................................$   81.7  million    

The Great Gatsby...............................$   51.1  million

Pain & Gain.........................................$   41.6  million

The Big Wedding................................$   18.3  million 

Mud.....................................................$    8.4  million

Tyler Perry Presents: Peeples............$    4.9  million

 

— Reuters