He speeds into battle in a fiery flash, laying waste to all challengers. That's not just "Iron Man" but the film's likely box-office outcome too.From a surprise sneak peek at July's Comic-Con convention through its teaser trailer launch in October and TV spots during February's Super Bowl and "Lost" premiere, "Iron Man" has been assembling a towering wave of momentum. But is it a tsunami? When the first meaningful audience tracking surveys rolled in early last week, Paramount and Marvel Studios had to say "Iron Man" sure was looking like one.
Movie studios and exhibitors are desperate for a hit, with 2008 attendance down more than 6% compared with a year ago and last weekend's total grosses down almost 20% versus the same weekend in 2007, according to the research firm Media by Numbers. Several of the year's higher-profile releases, including films from George Clooney ("Leatherheads"), Will Ferrell ("Semi-Pro") and Jodie Foster ("Nim's Island"), all faltered. Relief from some of the summer's biggest guns -- "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" and " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- won't come until mid- and late May.
But when "Iron Man" hits theaters on May 2, it may single-handedly launch what is Hollywood's most important (and profitable) season and help lift the business out of its doldrums.
As is the industry habit, both Paramount and Marvel are trying to manage expectations downward. They note (accurately, as it turns out) that Iron Man is hardly as popular a comic book character as Spider-Man or Hulk, that almost all school-age kids will still be in classes when the film opens and that this weekend's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and May 2's "Made of Honor" will grab some of "Iron Man's" harder-to-get female patrons.
Movie studios and exhibitors are desperate for a hit, with 2008 attendance down more than 6% compared with a year ago and last weekend's total grosses down almost 20% versus the same weekend in 2007, according to the research firm Media by Numbers. Several of the year's higher-profile releases, including films from George Clooney ("Leatherheads"), Will Ferrell ("Semi-Pro") and Jodie Foster ("Nim's Island"), all faltered. Relief from some of the summer's biggest guns -- "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" and " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" -- won't come until mid- and late May.
But when "Iron Man" hits theaters on May 2, it may single-handedly launch what is Hollywood's most important (and profitable) season and help lift the business out of its doldrums.
As is the industry habit, both Paramount and Marvel are trying to manage expectations downward. They note (accurately, as it turns out) that Iron Man is hardly as popular a comic book character as Spider-Man or Hulk, that almost all school-age kids will still be in classes when the film opens and that this weekend's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and May 2's "Made of Honor" will grab some of "Iron Man's" harder-to-get female patrons.
That said, some rival studio executives and producers -- having looked at "Iron Man's" strong tracking numbers ¡X are now saying the film could be one of the summer's top hits, especially since Paramount and Marvel have spent only 30% of their advertising dollars so far.
Directed by "Elf's" Jon Favreau, "Iron Man" stars Robert Downey Jr. as arms manufacturer Tony Stark. Captured by Middle Eastern guerrillas who force him to build a missile, a wounded Stark instead constructs a protective iron suit that allows him to escape. Once free and back in Malibu, Stark secretly refines his design, turning himself into a more peace-minded crusader. His about-face might worry longtime assistant Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Paltrow), but it really ticks off business partner Obadiah Stane ( Jeff Bridges). Before long, Stark's Iron Man faces a very bad boardroom revolt.
Because the character resides in the middle rungs of Marvel's superhero ladder, below not only Spider-Man and Hulk but also X-Men and the Fantastic Four, equivalent movie comparisons are problematic. "X-Men," which helped launch the modern comic-book revival, premiered with US$54.5 million in 2000. Two years later, the first "Spider-Man" opened to US$114.8 million, followed a year later with "Hulk" at US$62.1 million. In 2005, "The Fantastic Four" opened with receipts of US$56.1 million.
Directed by "Elf's" Jon Favreau, "Iron Man" stars Robert Downey Jr. as arms manufacturer Tony Stark. Captured by Middle Eastern guerrillas who force him to build a missile, a wounded Stark instead constructs a protective iron suit that allows him to escape. Once free and back in Malibu, Stark secretly refines his design, turning himself into a more peace-minded crusader. His about-face might worry longtime assistant Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Paltrow), but it really ticks off business partner Obadiah Stane ( Jeff Bridges). Before long, Stark's Iron Man faces a very bad boardroom revolt.
Because the character resides in the middle rungs of Marvel's superhero ladder, below not only Spider-Man and Hulk but also X-Men and the Fantastic Four, equivalent movie comparisons are problematic. "X-Men," which helped launch the modern comic-book revival, premiered with US$54.5 million in 2000. Two years later, the first "Spider-Man" opened to US$114.8 million, followed a year later with "Hulk" at US$62.1 million. In 2005, "The Fantastic Four" opened with receipts of US$56.1 million.
Still, there's telling strength hiding inside "Iron Man's" audience surveys, box-office experts say. While some "Iron Man" doubters worry that the film's female appeal is too far behind its male interest to yield a true, all-demographic blockbuster (men are almost twice as interested in "Iron Man" as are women), a close look at the numbers tells a different tale.
The film's female interest is roughly comparable to where it was for "Hulk," "Transformers" (which opened to US$70.5 million last July) and the R-rated "300" (which grossed US$70.9 million in its premiere in March) two weeks before those films hit theaters.
And with the acclaimed Downey and the Oscar-winning Paltrow in leading roles and mostly favorable reviews expected, "Iron Man" should also draw strongly among more discriminating ¡X older, put less diplomatically -- moviegoers. There's little, in other words, to hold it back.
Paramount, which is marketing and distributing the movie that Marvel paid for as its first self-financed production, notes that only two non-sequels ("Spider-Man" and "The Passion of the Christ") have ever grossed more than US$80 million in their first three-day weekends. Even if "Iron Man" (which cost US$135 million to make) grosses US$50 million in its first weekend, it will be headed toward profitability and have everybody at Paramount and Marvel beaming.
Ads for "Iron Man" say "Heroes aren't born. They're built." And Paramount and Marvel have constructed their own box-office behemoth. Don't be surprised if it takes in as much as US$70 million on opening weekend.
The film's female interest is roughly comparable to where it was for "Hulk," "Transformers" (which opened to US$70.5 million last July) and the R-rated "300" (which grossed US$70.9 million in its premiere in March) two weeks before those films hit theaters.
And with the acclaimed Downey and the Oscar-winning Paltrow in leading roles and mostly favorable reviews expected, "Iron Man" should also draw strongly among more discriminating ¡X older, put less diplomatically -- moviegoers. There's little, in other words, to hold it back.
Paramount, which is marketing and distributing the movie that Marvel paid for as its first self-financed production, notes that only two non-sequels ("Spider-Man" and "The Passion of the Christ") have ever grossed more than US$80 million in their first three-day weekends. Even if "Iron Man" (which cost US$135 million to make) grosses US$50 million in its first weekend, it will be headed toward profitability and have everybody at Paramount and Marvel beaming.
Ads for "Iron Man" say "Heroes aren't born. They're built." And Paramount and Marvel have constructed their own box-office behemoth. Don't be surprised if it takes in as much as US$70 million on opening weekend.
- -By John Horn, Los Angeles Times
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Summary:
The team which make the film - Iron Man - spent time, effort, and money to accomplish a popular movie. A rate of ticketing is higher than many movies. Compared with other movies, Iron Man gain much more profit, because it is top-grossing in the America even in the whole world. Iron Man is a box-office big movie.－ － － － － － － － － － － － －
Voabulary:
1.sneak2.towering
3.momentum
4.versus
5.patrons
6.rival
7.guerrillas
8.boardroom
9.premiere
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Useful Words:
1.desperate
2.captured
3.expectation .
4.protective
5.assembling
6.executive
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Few weeks ago, My friends and I went to see the movie - Iron Man - in Miramar cinemas. It has a special attraction for me. The story of a play is tautness.
The story is talk about there is a person who has a hundred million personal wealth. He is an enterpriser and inventor. his company has a high prestige in the world. One day he grasped on both sides by the arms and he have no choice but to make a destructive weapon. He make a weapon and make an iron covering simultaneously, he is not only make a living to hisself but also assist many people who need help. Above-mentioned is a little plot of story.
I learned something from this movie is that maybe our brst friend or our partner for the sake of fame and wealth and sacrifice friend. And Iron Man is really great man he always try his best to help people, I think I should help people as possible I can.
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