"Pain & Gain," Michael Bay's tale of bodybuilders gone bad, opened to $20 million and won the weekend at the U.S. box office, but the bigger news was the spectacular $195 million worldwide debut of "Iron Man 3."
That was better than "The Avengers" did in its first week abroad and sets the stage for a massive domestic opening for "Iron Man 3,' which rolls out Friday in the U.S.
Also read: Huge 'Iron Man 3' Overseas Debut Validates 'Super Sequel' Strategy
Meanwhile, Lionsgate's star-packed farce "The Big Wedding" was big miss. It managed just $7.5 million, below expectations that were soft to begin with. Even the presence of Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl, Robin Williams and others couldn't help the R-rated comedy, directed by Justin Zackman ("The Bucket List").
if you're planning to open a wedding-themed comedy, you might want to pick a date other than the last weekend in April. Judd Apatow's "The Five-Year Engagement" disappoointed with just $10 million for Universal on the same weekend last year.
On the specialty release front, "Mud," the Roadside Attractions drama starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, will be expanding to around 500 theaters this week. It averaged more than $6,000 per screen in its debut on about 360 theaters.