Speed Racer was lapped in its opening weekend at the box office as Iron Man continued to fire its jets with $50.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The anime-inspired race movie edged into the No. 2 spot with $20.2 million, slightly ahead of the 20th Century Fox comedy What Happens in Vegas, which debuted at $20 million.
''Our tracking was stalled toward the end,'' said Dan Fellman, president of Warner Bros. theatrical distribution, about market surveys before the Speed Racer opening. He added that the movie would have difficulty recouping its $120 million budget.
What Happens in Vegas, a romantic comedy that cost $35 million and stars Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, shot the gap between the action flicks.
Five of the top 10 grossing movies were comedies, including Sony Pictures' Patrick Dempsey-led film, Made of Honor, which took in $7.6 million in its second week, for fourth place.
The weekend's total domestic box office gross hit $128 million, up 21 percent from last year. But year-to-date revenue was still down 2.5 percent at $2.93 billion, while attendance was off 5.3 percent.
Over the next few weeks, several big movies will take a shot at knocking Iron Man off its perch, starting with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, opening May 16, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on May 22.
According to Media By Numbers, estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters were:
1. Iron Man, $50.5 million.
2. Speed Racer, $20.2 million.
3. What Happens in Vegas, $20 million.
4. Made of Honor, $7.6 million.
5. Baby Mama, $5.8 million.
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall, $3.8 million.
7. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, $3.2 million.
8. The Forbidden Kingdom, $1.9 million.
9. Nim's Island, $1.3 million.
10. Redbelt, $1.1 million.
