SUPERHERO movie “Iron Man” pounded the competition at North American box offices for the second straight weekend, landing at No. 1 with US$50.5 million in ticket sales.

The movie, about a comic book hero in a high-tech suit of armor, took in US$12,284 per theater at 4,111 locations, and saw its total box office rise to US$177 million after only about 10 days in theaters.

“Iron Man” blasted two new entries this weekend, family adventure “Speed Racer” and romantic comedy “What Happens in Vegas,” which battled for the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.

“Speed Racer” finished in the second-place spot with US$20.2 million in ticket sales to US$20 million for No. 3 “Vegas.”

“Speed Racer” got off to a slow start for the big-budget film’s backers at Warner Bros. who had high hopes the movie would prove to be a runaway hit for kids and their parents.

“We were disappointed with the results over the weekend,” said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros.

However, Fellman said surveys of audiences leaving theaters showed they had positive reactions to the movie about a race car driver named Speed who must stop wealthy corporations from using profits to fix races. It was made by the directors of the “Matrix,” brothers Larry and Andy Wachowski.

While “Speed Racer” managed to claim the No. 2 spot, “Vegas” beat it on the basis of average sales per theater.

“Vegas,” which stars Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz as a pair of mismatched lovers who get married after a fling in Las Vegas, pulled in US$6,221 per theater in 3,215 theaters compared to US$5,605 per venue in 3,606 locations for “Speed.”

Rounding out the top 5 films this weekend were romantic comedy “Made of Honor,” starring Patrick Dempsey, in the No. 4 spot with US$7.6 million.

“Made of Honor” was followed by Tina Fey comedy “Baby Mama” with an estimated tally of US$5.8 million.

(SD-Agencies)