#BOXOFFICE: “IRON MAN 3” STILL #1, WHILE “GATSBY” OPENS BIG AT #2

In an exciting weekend at the Box Office, two heavy Hollywood Blockbusters were pitted against one another – Iron Man 3, catering more towards a male audience, and The Great Gatsby, catering towards a more female audience. Alas, it is the Man of Iron who prevails with $72.4 million in its second week after an explosive $174 million opening in North America. In two short weeks, it has grossed $284 million domestically.

Not to be shamed, The Great Gatsby debuts in second with an equally stellar $51.1 million for Warner Bros. from 3,535 theatres.  Although Critics had mixed feelings about the F. Scott Fitzgerald Adaptation with a 48% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, audiences gave it a B CinemaScore, which shouldn’t hurt it.  Also, the fact that it is Mother’s Day surely helps with its numbers.

Former number one Pain & Gain slips to third this weekend for Paramount Pictures, earning $5 million in a v. distant third place. To date it has grossed $41  million domestically.

Debuting uncharacteristically low in fourth with $4.8 million from 2,041 theatres is Tyler Perry‘s latest Peeples, starring Kerry Washington.  The Comedy is the only other wide release to  open this weekend and earned a B- CinemaScore and also a 37% rating on the Tomatometer.

In fifth is 42, another former number one Film, with $4.6 million for Warner Bros. in its fourth week of release. In its four week run, the Jackie Robinson Biopic has grossed $84.7 million.

Rounding out the Top Ten are Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon Drama Mud with $2.3 million – the Film opens soon in Canada  via eOne Films – and the valiant Oz The Great and Powerful with $802k in its TENTH week of release for Disney.