Robin Hood Can’t Defeat Iron Man 2 in Weekend Box Office

Falling a heavy but not totally unanticipated 58% from last weekend Iron Man 2 topped the box office charts with $53 million. That takes its domestic total to $212 million after just 10 days. The sequel has not had quite the same word of mouth that drove the original. That one surprised many while the follow-up carried much heavier expectations.

Iron Man 2 is ahead by about $20 million compared to the original after the 10 days but the possibility remains that it will not end up out-grossing it. The drop-off to the second weekend was 12% higher here and Iron Man held up really well in the weeks that followed…better than what would be expected with the sequel. Despite that internationally Iron Man 2 is killing and has nearly made as much as the first did through its entire run. The worldwide total for the movie now sits at a stunning $428 million.

The big new release of the weekend was Robin Hood. The Ridley Scott directed film stars Russell Crowe in the title role and attempted to present a grittier take on the fabled story. It was able to pull in $37 million over the weekend which was slightly above most industry expectations. It doesn’t seem to have great long-term prospects as both reviews and word of mouth has been mixed. The $37 million sounds like a solid result but considering the budget was $200 million they have a long way to go to make that back.

Two other entries opened modestly. Letters to Juliet played well to the female crowd and took in nearly $14 million. That film may end up with low drop-offs over the coming weeks given its target audience has received it well. The sports based romantic-comedy Just Wright was able to pull in $8 million and will have a short lifespan in the theaters.