Iron Man

“Iron Man” grossed an estimated $201 million (including international sales), according to Paramount Pictures. The film was made with an estimated $135 million. The totals were slightly short of first-weekend sales for “Spider-Man,” the 2002 blockbuster that holds the record for the top nonsequel superhero movie opening.

Based on the long-running Marvel comic book series, “Iron Man” is the story of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.), who is also a beyond-brilliant engineer.

When Stark is kidnapped and forced to build a diabolical weapon, he instead uses his intelligence and ingenuity to construct an indestructible suit of armor and escape his captors. Once free, Stark discovers a deadly conspiracy that could destabilize the entire globe, and dons his powerful new suit on a mission to stop the villains and save the world.

Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his secretary, Virginia "Pepper" Potts, while Terrence Howard fills the role of Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, one of Stark's colleagues, whose military background leads him to help in the formation of the suit. Jon Favreau directs, with Marvel movie veterans Avi Arad and Kevin Feige producing.

The experience of watching 'Iron Man' turned out to be quite fulfilling -- a good sign for the forthcoming summer months. For Robert Downey Jr., perhaps best known for his Oscar-nominated turn as Charlie Chaplin in 1992's "Chaplin," "Iron Man" easily marks his biggest picture yet, at least in commercial terms. His most recent films, such as "Zodiac," "Fur" and "Good Night, and Good Luck," were mostly acclaimed but largely flew under the mainstream radar.

The movie is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence and brief suggestive content. It runs for 126 minutes. Here is the official site of the movie: ironmanmovie.com.