LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Iron Man 2," the sequel to the hit 2008 superhero movie starring Robert Downey Jr., earned $133.6 million during its first three days of release in North America, distributor Paramount Pictures said on Sunday, meeting pundits' forecasts but failing to break industry records.
Some rival studios had thought the Marvel Studios film could break the $158 million opening record set by "The Dark Knight" in 2008. In the end, "Iron Man" ranks at No. 5 on the all-time list.
As the first big movie of the lucrative summer movie-going season, it easily cruised past the $99 million opening of the first film in the franchise, not to mention the $77 million start of box office behemoth "Avatar."
"Iron Man 2" is the first big Marvel superhero film to open since Walt Disney Co's $4 billion purchase of the comic-book studio last year. Paramount, a unit of Viacom Inc, is releasing the film worldwide for a distribution fee.
The film is also playing in most markets around the world, but sales data were not immediately available.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman)
