ENTERTAINMENT
May 10, 2013 | By Daniel Miller
Paramount Pictures will be getting a payday for "Iron Man 3" -- a film released by its crosstown rival Disney. The Walt Disney Co.'s Robert Downey Jr. action sequel has already sold $794 million of tickets worldwide -- a massive success for the Burbank company. But Paramount, which had no involvement in the making of the Marvel Studios-produced superhero movie, could wind up receiving more than $100 million from the box office pie. PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere The financial deal stems from an October 2010 agreement between Disney and Paramount, which had previously distributed Marvel movies, including the first two "Iron Man" pictures.
ENTERTAINMENT
May 6, 2013 | By Steven Zeitchik
Early audience tracking told us that "Iron Man 3" was going to be a big hit. But until the numbers started floating through inboxes and Twitter feeds in the past week, it didn't hit home just how big that hit would be. With $175.3 million worth of tickets sold on its first U.S. weekend (the second-highest total in box-office history) and nearly $700 million worldwide in just 10 days of release, the Robert Downey Jr. film is an eye-popping success. The numbers more than validate Marvel Studios' decision to move ahead with a third Tony Stark film, and offer something of a rejoinder to director Jon Favreau, who decided against same.
BUSINESS
May 5, 2013 | By John Horn
"Iron Man 3" surpassed everything except "The Avengers. " The third Tony Stark movie from Disney's Marvel Studios enjoyed the second-best opening in box-office history, grossing an estimated $175.3 million in its debut weekend, Disney said Sunday. That debut could help start to reverse a very slow year in local theaters, where revenues and admissions are down about 12% from 2012. "Iron Man 3" appeared to benefit from strong family attendance and positive audience recommendations, collecting a CinemaScore of A. PHOTOS: 'Iron Man 3' premiere "We're getting some great word of mouth," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice president for worldwide sales and distribution.
ENTERTAINMENT
May 3, 2013 | By Oliver Gettell
After headlining two of his own movies and teaming up to save the world in "The Avengers," the billionaire-playboy-turned-superhero Iron Man is a known quantity. Anytime he shows up, audiences can rest assured that high-tech battle suits, scheming villains, big explosions and snappy banter are soon to follow. So it goes in his latest outing, "Iron Man 3," which finds Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) donning his famous armor to battle the terrorist mastermind the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)
ENTERTAINMENT
May 2, 2013 | By Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic
Batman's done it. Spider-Man too. Superman is about to try. As studios attempt to inject new life into overly familiar comic-book franchises, reboots - with changes in tone, directors and stars - are all the rage. But "Iron Man 3" proves there is more than one way to skin this particular cat. The story of "Iron Man 3" is a continuation of the previous two films, and its key cast is the same. But like a stunt driver taking over the wheel while the car is moving at 100 mph, new director (and co-writer)
ENTERTAINMENT
October 21, 2005 | Kenneth Turan, Times Staff Writer
Given that "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is Shane Black's directorial debut after nearly 20 years as a screenwriter, it's not surprising that the film has the exuberant glee of a kid who's just been let out of detention. A little of this kind of glee, however, goes a longer way than you might expect. Black, the screenwriter best known for dreaming up the "Lethal Weapon" franchise, is someone who can't resist showing off, and that eventually becomes a problem.