http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2492&p=.htm
What a difference a single movie can make. After weeks of humdrum pictures dragging it down, business came roaring back with the sensational debut of Iron Man, the first salvo of the summer movie season. While the weekend as a whole was down from last year when Spider-Man 3 hit a new opening milestone, it was the fourth best on record for the early May timeframe.
Iron Man rocketed to an estimated $100.8 million on approximately 8,700 screens at 4,105 theaters for a $104.3 million tally including Thursday night previews. The reportedly $140 million-budgeted Marvel Comics adaptation had the second-highest grossing opening weekend ever for a non-sequel behind Spider-Man and the tenth highest overall. In terms of attendance, the start was slightly higher than X2: X-Men United's May 2 debut five years ago, and it soared past Marvel's average opening by over 60 percent.