Box Office: 'Iron Man 2' generates strong $133M

Paramount won the weekend race at the North American box office as Jon Favreau's sequel "Iron Man 2" crushed its competition with a strong $133.6 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The film beat its predecessor on opening weekend by $31 million, and that's a good start for "Iron Man 2."

The movie, which is now No. 1 worldwide, scored a massive $30,502 per theater at 4,380 locations. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, who this time must face Sam Rockwell's Justin Hammer and Mickey Rourke's Whiplash. Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow co-star.

"Babies," this week's second release, finished at No. 10 with a decent $1.5 million at only 534 locations. The documentary about one year in the life of four babies from around the world delivered a surprisingly strong average of $2,949 per theater.

Meanwhile, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" took a big dive this weekend, earning only $9.1 million in second place. Domestically, the horror remake directed by Samuel Bayer has collected a total gross of $48.5 million. Following at No. 3 was "How to Train Your Dragon," which lifted its total to $201 million.

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'Iron Man 2' makes solid $52M Friday

Jon Favreau's "Iron Man 2" kicked off its North American box office run with a big $52.4 million in ticket sales Friday. That's a big victory over its predecessor "Iron Man," which brought in only $35.2 million on opening day. The one-day gross of the sequel includes $7 million generated via midnight screenings.

"Iron Man 2," which stars Ronert Downey Jr. in the lead role, will probably finish the weekend with a gross of around $120 million. It will not be as high as expected, but it will still be huge nonetheless. The film, also starring Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke, is now playing at 4,380 locations.

This week's other release, "Babies," only made it to No. 12 Friday, bringing in $380,000. The documentary about the first year in the life of four babies is now playing at 534 locations. Coming in second on the circuit Friday was "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which bagged $3.3 million for a total of $42.6 million.

Meanwhile, "Date Night" finished third, earning $1.6 million. Domestically, the comedy by Shawn Levy has reached a total haul of $77.1 million. Following closely in No. 4 was "How to Train Your Dragon," which collected $1.5 million for a cumulative gross of $195.8 million.

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Movie Review: "Babies" (Bébés)

Seen on: April 27, 2010

The players: Director: Thomas Balmes, Cast: Bayar, Hattie, Mari, Ponijao

Facts of interest: "Babies" is actually a French production.

The plot: The movie follows four babies from around the world as they spend their first year among the living.

Our thoughts: Thomas Balmes’ “Babies” doesn’t really qualify as a real documentary, but more like a cinematic experiment focusing on one year in the life of four babies from different parts of the world. Watching newborns do their thing for 79 minutes may not exactly sound like a compelling viewing experience, but much to my surprise, the film kept me engaged from start to finish.

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The 'Babies' are coming in new trailer!

They are coming! They are coming! The babies are invading the big screen! A first trailer for Thomas Balmes' upcoming documentary "Babies" (formerly "Baby(ies)") has hit the Web, and you can see it below.

The Focus Features release simultaneously follows four babies around the world – from birth to first steps: Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia, Mari from Tokyo and Hattie from San Francisco.

Based on an original idea by Alain Chabat, the film joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all. At least that's what Focus says about it.

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Focus Features announces 2010 slate

Focus Features CEO James Schamus recently announced the studio's release slate for 2010, and right now, he confirmed the releases of six new films, including "Greenberg," "Babies" and "Somewhere."

“Next year’s Focus slate follows one of the company’s best years ever – our eighth profitable year in a row since our inception, and the year in which we passed the $1 billion mark in cumulative domestic box office alone," Schamus stated in a press release.

He said, “Our 2010 lineup is as audacious as any in our history, ranging from American indies like Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck’s 'It’s Kind of a Funny Story' to big international productions like Anton Corbijn’s 'The American'.”

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