Following up the enormous success of "The Avengers," Tony Stark is back for another trip to the top of the box office charts with "Iron Man 3," which hits more than 4,200 theaters this weekend with expectations of being far and away the biggest hit so far this year.
While other action titles like "Pain & Gain" and "Oblivion" struggle to compete with "Iron Man 3," it should also be another decent weekend for "42" and "The Croods," though romantic comedy "The Big Wedding" looks to be in rough shape as it limps into its second weekend in theaters. It should also be the last weekend that action-thriller "Olympus Has Fallen" lands in the top 10 after a quietly strong box office run so far.
Even though there are some other options this weekend, it's all about "Iron Man 3." Both "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" racked up more than $300 million in the U.S. and posted big foreign totals as well, though the third installment has an even wider audience to appeal to thanks to the unbelievable worldwide success of "The Avengers" last summer. "The Avengers" would go on to earn more than "Iron Man" and "Iron 2" combined, giving new life to all of the affiliated solo franchises.
While superheroes Thor and Captain America should also see a boost for their next releases, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark remains as popular as any of the Avengers, which will likely lead to some huge box office numbers over the next month. Before even hitting domestic theaters, "Iron Man 3" has racked up more than $300 million in foreign revenue and is already in line to surpass the $311 million that "Iron Man 2" earned outside of the U.S. in 2010.
Also helping the box office potential of "Iron Man 3" is perfect release timing, as distributor Disney will enjoy almost a complete lack of real genre competition. Though Michael Bay's "Pain & Gain" should post a modest second weekend, its R-rating will make it very difficult to compete for wide audiences with PG-13 "Iron Man 3." Strong reviews from critics also won't hurt and audiences always seem to be ready for blockbuster season to start in the first weekend in May, setting up "Iron Man 3" to potentially have the biggest opening of 2013.
Even if it won't come close to the $207 million domestic opening of "The Avengers," "Iron Man 3" should easily surpass the $128 million opening of "Iron Man 2" and could even break the $500 million worldwide mark by the end of the weekend.
In the shadow of "Iron Man 3," "Pain & Gain" will be hoping to find a few adult, action-seeking audiences this weekend, though a sizable drop is expected. Unlike most of Michael Bay's releases, "Pain & Gain" also could have a hard time competing in foreign markets thanks to a steady stream of action blockbusters slated to hit theaters over the next few weekends - all with PG-13 ratings and a much wider audience to appeal to. "Pain & Gain" is posting some decent totals considering its slim $26 million production budget, but it looks like it's in line for a precipitous decline from here on out.
Also on the decline this week is R-rated action-thriller "Olympus Has Fallen," which has put up a steady domestic total of $94 million as of May 1st. Though "Olympus" does carry a production budget of $70 million, it has also had a little success outside of the U.S. as well, bolstering its worldwide total to $129 million to make it far and away the highest grossing movie released by FilmDistrict.
Next weekend, "Iron Man 3" should still find a very wide audience, but we will also get a couple of newcomers as well. Baz Luhrmann's delayed "The Great Gatsby" will finally hit theaters after missing its intended awards season release, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan starring in the latest adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel. Also getting launched will be "Tyler Perry Presents Peeples," the second of three releases from the prolific director/producer.
RTT Box Office Predictions for 5/3/13 - 5/5/13 (in millions):
1) Iron Man 3 (Disney): $152
2) Pain & Gain (Paramount): $9
3) Oblivion (Universal): $8.5
4) 42 (Warner Brothers): $6.4
5) The Croods (Fox): $3.9
6) The Big Wedding (Lionsgate): $3.5
7) G.I. Joe: Retaliation (Paramount): $1.7
8) Scary Movie 5 (Weinstein/Dimension): $1.7
9) The Place Beyond the Pines (Focus): $1.5
10) Olympus Has Fallen (FilmDistrict): $1.3
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.