Box Office Special - Unassailable Iron Man

Welcome to Summer. The first real blockbuster is in the books, and boy was it a doozy. "Iron Man" scored with critics and with audiences. While number one at the box and $100 million sounds pretty good, to really understand how well the film did, it's helpful to look at some comparisons.

First, some prominent superhero films by Metacritic score:
Spider Man 2 - 83
Iron Man - 78
Spider Man - 73
Superman Returns - 72
Batman Begins - 70
X-Men - 64
Spider Man 3 - 59
X-Men 3 - 58
Fantastic Four 2 - 45

Now, some opening weekend numbers (in millions):
Spider Man 3 - $151.1
Spider Man - $114.8
X-Men 3 - $102.8
Iron Man - $98.6
Spider Man 2 - $88.2
Fantastic Four 2 - $58.1
X-Men - $54.5
Superman Returns - $51.8
Batman Begins - $48.7

"Iron Man" placed 10th all-time in opening box office, and placed 3rd all-time during the 1st weekend in May ("Spider Man" and "Spider Man 3" being nos. 1 and 2). That's some exclusive company, and, as we've already heard, means we can expect a whole lot more Marvel on the big screen.

In other news, I've updated the Horrors of 2008 spreadsheet, and have added one column for largest total number of screens. That info can be helpful when looking at films that gain traction after release. Notice, the only 2008 film to see any real increase in screen numbers after its initial release was the Film That Shall Not Be Named. Unfortunately, we're still three weeks away from "The Strangers," in the meantime I'd recommend some Zombie Strippers.