This has been quite a year for movies. There have been major genre hits, and major disasters, but the box office pundits claim this could again be another record year. The Hobbit has been doing bang up business, and other genre films have also been doing very well, but the biggest movie of the year came out in the summer, and that movie is…
Iron Man 3. While Iron Man 2 was a mediocre mis-step, Tony Stark came back strong last year, with the help of writer / director Shane Black (screenwriter of Lethal Weapon.) Iron Man 3 made beaucoup bucks, grossing over $400 million in the states, and $1.2 billion worldwide. (In fact, Variety tells us Iron Man 3 is the only billion grosser of 2013.)
Robert Downey Jr also has a piece of the Iron Man films, and this was a bone of contention in renegotiating his deal for Avengers 2, but cool heads prevailed, and the papers were signed for him to return (and make an even bigger pile of money.)
The incredible success of The Avengers helped pave the way for Tony Stark’s comeback, although we get the impression Avengers 2 might be the last hurrah for the character. Downey has expressed the desire to go back to smaller movies, and you can’t blame him for not wanting to play the same role over and over again for his entire life. So if Avengers 2 is his swan song, let’s hope he goes out with a bang.
