May 13, 2013 by Vinnie Leduc
After launching with the second highest opening ever at the domestic box office, Iron Man 3 still had plenty of power left for a resounding repeat win over the surprisingly strong debut of The Great Gatsby during the Mother’s Day weekend. The two movies were neck and neck after Friday’s estimates with less than $1 million separating the action blockbuster and romantic drama, but Tony Stark pulled away with a substantial lead by Sunday. Although it now significantly trails last year’s mega-blockbuster The Avengers, the Marvel three-quel is closing in on the top 20 of all time in worldwide gross as it nears the $1 billion mark globally after adding $72.5 million stateside.
With over $50 million, The Great Gatsby‘s runner-up finish is the third highest ever for a movie opening in second place. Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of what many consider the greatest American novel can now add “third best second place” to its short list of achievements, along with beating the $37 million debut of its fictional Martin Scorsese-directed counterpart in Entourage. Well done, old sport!
Slipping from the silver spot to the last podium spot was Michael Bay’s Pain & Gain. In its third weekend, the entertaining action comedy still managed to fend off the other new wide release, Peeples. The Tyler Perry-branded comedy opened weakly and barely edged out Jackie Robinson biopic 42, which rounded out the weekend’s top five (below via BOM).
Next weekend, Iron Man 3 faces its biggest threat at the box office when our most anticipated movie of 2013, Star Trek Into Darkness, hits theaters.
- Iron Man 3 — Weekend Gross: $72.5 million — Total Gross: $284.9 million (#1 last week)
- The Great Gatsby — Weekend Gross: $50.1 million — Total Gross: $50.1 million (new)
- Pain & Gain — Weekend Gross: $5.0 million — Total Gross: $41.6 million (#2 last week)
- Peeples — Weekend Gross: $4.61 million — Total Gross: $4.61 million (new)
- 42 — Weekend Gross: $4.59 million — Total Gross: $84.7 million (#3 last week)
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