'Iron Man 3' Breaks Box-Office Records With $175.3 Million Opening Weekend

Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man.
Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man.

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"Iron Man 3" blew box-office estimates away opening weekend.

"Iron Man 3" blew away the competition at the box office this weekend.

Tony Stark's big return to theaters brought in a massive $175.3 million in its debut.

Box office estimates had the third film in the franchise earning anywhere from $135-$170 million.

Though it didn't duplicate the success of last year's "The Avengers" which brought in an astounding record-breaking $207 million opening weekend, "Iron Man 3" now sits second on the list, beating out "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2."

The film has now earned $680 million worldwide, and is well on its way to becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time. (To rival "The Avengers," it will need to earn at least $1.5 billion.)

Here are the top five grossing weekends at the box office:

Movie

Distributor

Opening Weekend

Worldwide Box Office

"Marvel's The Avengers"

Disney

$207.4 million

$1.5 billion

"Iron Man 3"

Disney

$175.3 million

$680 million to date

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

Warner Bros.

$169.2 million

$1.3 billion

"The Dark Knight Rises"

Warner Bros.

$160.9 million

$1 billion

"The Dark Knight"

Warner Bros.

$158.4 million

$1 billion

Disney will announce its second quarter earnings this Tuesday.



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