Theaters all across the country rolled out Jon Favreau's new superhero sequel at midnight last night and the box office results are now in. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Iron Man 2 raked in $7.5 million from last night's 12:01 AM screenings.
The film was screened in over 2,500 theaters for its midnight release, and the film will be released in 4,380 theaters this weekend, which is the widest opening weekend release in history. That theater count mark breaks The Dark Knight's 4,366 opening weekend theater count.
While it is opening in a record number of theaters, the film was projected to make around $140 million on opening weekend, which would fall short of The Dark Knight three-day weekend record of $158.4 million in the summer of 2008. Can Iron Man 2 beat The Dark Knight in this box office showdown? We will soon find out.