'Iron Man 2' tops US box office

Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, went to the top of the US box office but did not earn a place in the record books.

'Iron Man 2', the sequel starring Robert Downey Jr as the gadget-happy billionaire superhero, earned $133.6m domestically on its opening weekend, according to distributor Paramount Pictures’ estimates.

The opening rocketed past the original $98.6m debut in 2008 and landed the record as the fifth-biggest opening weekend.

“We’re thrilled with the combination of the way it’s playing across the board,” said Don Harris, Paramount’s vice president of distribution.

“It’s playing as a fanboy movie, but it’s also playing as family movie, too. I even know a bunch of people who are planning to take their mothers to see 'Iron Man 2' on Mother’s Day, which really made me chuckle.”

Iron Man 2 has taken in $194m outside the US since it debuted in many international markets last week, bringing its worldwide total to over $327mm.

While Hollywood blockbusters typically open around the same date in most countries, some get an overseas jump of a week or more on their US debuts. The biggest opening came from China with $7.3m.

The victory of Iron Man 2, which is only available in 2-D, comes at time when 3-D films like 'Avatar' and 'Alice in Wonderland' recently dominated the box office.