Moviegoers can't wait to see Robert Downey Jr. strap on the armor and battle evildoers.
"Iron Man 3" hits theaters on May 3, and according to a survey of 4,000 moviegoers by online ticketer Fandango, it is the most anticipated movie of the summer, beating out the likes of "The Lone Ranger" and "Monsters University."
Ticketbuyers are also eager to check out "Star Trek Into Darkness," J.J. Abrams follow up to his 2009 hit, and "The Great Gatsby," Baz Luhrmann's 3D take on F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary classic, with the two films taken the second and third most-anticipated slots, respectively.
Rounding out the top five were a pair of sequels — "Fast & Furious 6" and "The Hangover 3." That left little room for other big-budget offerings scheduled to hit theaters as temperatures rise. They include the Superman reboot "Man of Steel" and the zombie apocalypse film "World War Z."
In addition, Fandango surveyed respondents on their favorite summer film of the last two decades. Its research found that "The Avengers," last summer's biggest comic book movie, topped the charts. Also beloved were "Pirates of the Caribbean," the first film in the Johnny Depp franchise, and last year's "The Dark Knight Rises." "Jurassic Park" and "The Bourne Identity" rounded out the top five.
