Iron Man 3 Beats The Avengers Opening World Wide Box Office, Should Enjoy This While it Lasts

For Americans, Iron Man 3, the first installment of Marve’s Phase 2, is still tantalizingly out of reach, close and yet far on the other side of the work week. But for forty two other countries, it opened this weekend. And it opened pretty well.

From MTV News:

“Iron Man 3″ got off to a gargantuan $195 million start in 42 foreign markets over the weekend. Robert Downey Jr.’s third solo outing as billionaire inventor Tony Stark has already made $10 million more than”Marvel’s The Avengers” had in the same period last year, which certainly bodes well for next weekend’s domestic debut.

No one is really expecting a movie to repeat the sheer numbers success of The Avengers, at least, not until The Avengers 2 at the very least. So while Iron Man 3 just made more in its first internationally available weekend than The Avengers, I wouldn’t assume that this means it’ll continue. Then again… it’d be very, very interesting if it did. It’s worth noting those forty-two foreign markets do not include China, a secondary market the movie is attempting to play to as well as it can by casting a handful of Chinese cinema stars in minor roles (minor roles that will be enhanced by extra footage in the Chinese release of the movie). It might seem like the obvious semi-altruistic gesture to make in a movie that’s attempting to use a villain that once embodied some pretty horrible American stereotypes regarding Chinese people… but the fact is simply that China is a huge market that can be tapped if Marvel Entertainment can get folks to come out for an American action movie. Will it be the kind of turnout that actually gives The Avengers a run for its money?

I’d be surprised, but you never know…

(via MTV News.)