Mark Wahlberg’s dark comedy “Pain & Gain” brought enough box office muscle to knock Tom Cruise out of the No. 1 spot on movie charts in the United States and Canada.
Another box office heavyweight, Robert Downey Jr., scored big overseas with the international debut of Marvel superhero sequel “Iron Man 3.”
“Pain & Gain” took in $20 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters over its first three days, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Cruise’s sci-fi thriller, “Oblivion,” slipped to second place with $17.4 million.
“Oblivion,” a post-apocalyptic drama about the last humans on Earth, brought its two-week total in North America (the United States and Canada) to $64.7 million. Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures estimated international sales through Sunday at $134.1 million, bringing the film’s worldwide total to $198.8 million.
“Iron Man 3” hauled in $195.3 million in 42 international markets, distributor Walt Disney Co said, a total that surpassed the international opening of “The Avengers.” The movie arrives in the United States and Canada on Friday to kick off Hollywood’s lucrative summer blockbuster season.
