“Iron Man 3” may not have opened domestically yet, but it has opened in near enough 80% of international markets and grossed a not inconsiderable $195 million already -ahead of last year’s record-breaking “The Avengers.” So the question now is: how big will its stateside debut be? And does it have any hope of actually rivalling “The Avengers‘” massive haul?
With that in mind Marvel have taken a new TV spot and a clip from the movie online. Having already seen the film, this writer was mightily impressed with how deftly this film has been marketed; never giving too much away. Perhaps that’s in part down to Drew Pearce and Shane Black’s script, which delivers something great in nearly every scene, and we can put any fan’s mind at ease regarding concerns that the spots might give away a little too much.
The new clip, running a little more than a minute long, extends a bit further into a scene we’ve already seen in the trailers, in which, faced with the tough task of carrying a lot more people than his suit can actually manage, Robert Downey Jr‘s Tony Stark must logically puzzle out a way to save the day. Again, it’s a masterclass in showcasing one of the movie’s best set pieces without giving the biggest moments away in advance. Just watching these teases makes us want to see the movie again. The new commercial, on the other hand, is pure hysteria-baiting hyperbole, with “Iron Man 3” being touted as “The Movie Event of the Summer” (don’t tell Guillermo del Toro… Or Zack Snyder… Or…)
We’re not entirely sure why Marvel are holding back the US release of their movies (it probably has something to do with soccer), but with all this positive buzz generated overseas might just provide a nice opening weekend bump at the box office. The movie will roll out across Germany, South Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates throughout the week, before finally making its domestic bow on Friday. But it could be worse, Poland have to wait until May 9th.
“Iron Man 3” opens in the glorious United States of America on Friday.