“Iron Man 3” blasts weekend box office competition

Even with the star power of Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow to its name, “Iron Man 3” fell short of garnering the biggest opening weekend of all time with its three-day domestic gross of $175.3 million.

The film comes in second behind Marvel’s previous summer smash “The Avengers,” which holds the record of $207.4 million made in an opening weekend.

“Iron Man 3” with an international haul of $504.8 million, has managed to gross an astounding $680.1 million, a keep “Iron Man,” “Iron Man 2” and “Thor’s” entire total run.

With a rumored budget of $200 million, “Iron Man 3” was able to earn Disney back its investment and then some.

With a summer full of sequels and big, flashy names, “Iron Man 3” certainly won’t be the only film making a splash this season, here’s five more that are slated for box office success:

SOLID SUCCESSES

1) “Monster’s University” – Pixar is known for churning out moneymaking, quality pictures and with the return of the not-so-scary monsters Mike and Sulley in “Monster’s University” this trend should continue.

Even though Pixar’s last venture “Brave” didn’t return great numbers, it has been 12 years since we’ve seen the streets of Monstropolis and audiences can’t wait to return.

2) “Man of Steel – Marvel and Disney have reinvigorated the super hero movie market and now it’s time to see how the DC Comics brand can respond.

With America’s most iconic superhero at its helm, “Man of Steel” is certified gold.

Rumors have surfaced that DC is hoping to have its own “Avengers” success with the melding of Superman and Batman, but all of that talk rests on “Man of Steel’s” box-office success.

HIT OR MISS

3) “The Great Gatsby” – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel has been adapted for the screen three times before with little to no success.

Baz Luhrmann, the flashy director who has brought us “Smurfs 2″ a flop.

See tomorrow’s issue for a full Summer Movie Preview.