Iron Man 2 Blasts To Top Of U.s. Box Office

IRON MAN 2 has rocketed to the top of the U.S. box office chart to score the fifth biggest opening weekend in history with a powerful $133.6 million (£89 million).

The sequel to the 2008 hit, starring Robert Downey, Jr. as the comic book superhero, dominated movie theatres across America this weekend (07-09May10) as the nation celebrated Mother’s Day on Sunday (09May10).

The bumper figures overshadowed the takings of the original Iron Man, which grossed $98.6 million (£65.7 million) when it debuted in 2008.

However the follow-up failed to match the record set by The Dark Knight in 2008, which holds the title for the biggest opening weekend ever at the U.S. box office with $158.4 million (£105.6 million). Iron Man 2 sits behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest in the record books - the Disney adventure is fourth on the list after taking $135.6 million (£90.4 million) upon its release in 2006.

Iron Man 2’s U.S. profits takes the Jon Favreau movie’s worldwide total to over $327 million (£218 million).

Last week’s most popular film, a remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, fell to second place with $9.1 million (£6 million), while animated hit How to Train Your Dragon held strong at three with $6.7 million (£4.47 million), more than a month after its release.