'Iron Man 2' puts pedal to the medal with $52.4M

[May 10, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Robert Downey Jr. is packing a bigger box-office punch with his second "Iron Man" movie.

"Iron Man 2" took in $52.4 million domestically on its opening day Friday. That's nearly a 50 percent increase over the $35.2 million first day of the original "Iron Man" two years ago.

That puts the Paramount release based on the Marvel Comics superhero on track for a debut weekend of $125 million to $135 million, which would make it the fifth-biggest opening weekend on the box-office charts.

The first "Iron Man" movie had a $98.6 million debut weekend.

"Iron Man 2" has taken in nearly $150 million overseas since it debuted in many international markets last week. Worldwide, the movie has climbed to a $200 million total.

[Associated Press]

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