Iron Man 3 has already been breaking records overseas, so it's about time it shatters some right here in the U.S. According to Deadline, the film is projected to earn anywhere between a whopping $165 million and $180 million this weekend, and it's "very possible" that its global cumulative could hit the $650 million mark by Sunday.
The film began rolling into U.S. theaters starting at 9 PM Thursday night, and showings continued past midnight well into Friday morning. Numbers weren't anything spectacular - it earned about $15.6 million total - but that's still nearly on par with what last year's The Avengers earned during midnight showings, and that went on to earn $207 million during opening weekend in addition to claiming the spot for the third-highest grossing film of all time.
Internationally, the film's earnings have already surpassed the total international box office numbers for Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and even the first two Iron Man films. Basically, the moral of the story here is: Tony Stark will forever be the reigning BAMF.
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[via Deadline]
