'Iron Man 2' Hits DVD and Blu-ray

Iron Man 2—the most satisfying 2010 summer blockbuster this side of Inception—blasts its way onto DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, Sept. 28. If you’re at all into comic books (Marvel in particular), you’ve probably seen it at least once already in theaters. Me? I saw it twice. So there.

Although I loved Iron Man 2 (hence the whole “saw it twice” thing), It pains me to say that it didn’t quite live up to the original. At times, it felt less like a true Iron Man sequel than an advertisement for future Marvel Studios films, namely Joss Whedon’s The Avengers and Joe Johnston’s Captain America. Still, in spite of its cluttered narrative, Robert Downey Jr. was perfect as Tony Stark, while the rest of the cast—including Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Mickey Rourke—did superb jobs as well. As for the action scenes, they were suitably slick, especially the bombastic finale.

To read more about Iron Man 2, check out my review at Broken Frontier by clicking here.

Iron Man 2 Earns $134 Million Over Opening Weekend

Director Jon Favreau’s highly anticipated sequel to his 2008 breakout smash Iron Man earned an estimated $133.6 million domestically in its debut weekend, Deadline.com reports. The film, running in 4,380 North American theaters, raked in $52.4 million on Friday alone, including $7.5 million from Thursday midnight shows in about 3,000 locations. The film has amassed $194 million overseas, putting its global take at around $327 million.

Unfortunately there are some people out there who are disappointed by these numbers, since modern-day Hollywood economics dictate that any new blockbuster must have a record-breaking opening weekend to be considered a hit. Iron Man 2’s weekend gross puts it behind the three-day totals of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight, but glowing reviews and positive word of mouth will likely ensure the superhero sequel’s success in the long run.

As an unrelenting fanboy, I went to a packed midnight screening of Iron Man 2 and thoroughly enjoyed it. While I wouldn’t say it’s better than the first film, it’s a whole hell of a lot of fun and met my fairly lofty expectations.

Click here to read my full review at Broken Frontier.

Black Widow Spin-Off a Possibility!

What’s better than seeing Scarlett Johansson in skin-tight leather? Seeing Scarlett Johansson in skin-tight leather again. At the Iron Man 2 press conference in Los Angeles last week, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that a Black Widow spin-off film starring ScarJo is “definitely possible,” /Film reports.

Johansson’s contract includes a role in the upcoming Avengers team-up film, as well as appearances in other Marvel Studios films, which could include spin-offs. I can’t imagine many fanboys having a problem with this news, can you?

Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7.

Jon Favreau: No “Multi-Villainitis” in Iron Man 2

If you’ve been keeping track, Iron Man 2 is set to feature up to three villains: Whiplash (Mickey Rourke), Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) and, possibly, Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson). What what other superhero flicks infamously featured trios of baddies? Batman & Robin and Spider-Man 3 spring to mind.

Uh oh.

Fortunately, Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau told the Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex blog that fans need not be alarmed by this abundance of adversaries.

“You want to be sure you don’t suffer from multi-villainitis,” Favreau said. “That’s been the downfall of many other superhero franchises.”

He added that each new villain serves a clear purpose. The Black Widow (real name Natasha Romanoff) is meant to shake up the relationship between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), while Justin Hammer is meant to complicate the friendship between Tony and his best pal James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle). As for Mickey Rourke, well, he’s on hand to be creepy and destroy things with energy whips. He also has a pet cockatoo. ‘Nuff said.

“When done right, a superhero movie has the character’s personal life mirroring what’s happening in their superhero world, and sometimes you have to force things to do it,” Favreau explained. “In this case, I’d say, we found an organic way to do it. We wanted both A-story and B-story to be affected by these new characters.”

Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7.

Just a Reminder: Tony Stark Rules

Over the Easter weekend, Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures unveiled a clip from Iron Man 2 showing Tony Stark—as Iron Man—skydiving into a packed auditorium for Stark Expo, a celebration of all things, well, him, complete with fireworks, screaming crowds and scantily-clad dancers. Indeed, it’s good to be Tony Stark, at least at this point in the film.

You can watch the clip here, and if you’re looking for more Iron Man 2 awesomeness to tide you over until the film’s May 7 release, the official site is now live.

The New Iron Man 2 Trailer Drove Me Stark Raving Mad!

Yes, yes, the Academy Awards took place last night and we’re all very happy for the winners. But I think the real highlight of the night came long after Kathryn Bigelow was named best director for The Hurt Locker, beating her one-time hubby James Cameron and yet somehow resisting the urge to exclaim, “I’m the Queen of the World!” For geeks, the night’s big movie moment had nothing to do with red carpets or acceptance speeches.

I’m referring, of course, to the brand-spanking new Iron Man 2 trailer that premiered following the Oscar telecast on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., appeared on the show to debut the never-before-seen footage, and, well, wow. This movie is clearly going to be very hard to beat this summer in terms of sheer spectacle and narrative swagger.

What do we see? We see Iron Man and War Machine (Don Cheadle) tear into an army of mechanical drones. We also see more of Mickey Rourke as the villainous Whiplash. But perhaps most importantly, we see Tony armor up in his portable suit, which, like in the comics, folds out of a briefcase. It’s definitely an “oh snap” moment that I almost wish director Jon Favreau had kept under his hat until Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7, but it’s really hard for me to complain about something so trivial at at the moment. I’m smiling too hard.

Watch the trailer below (via MTV's Splash Page).

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Tony Starch Steals the Show at Toy Fair 2010

Iron Man 2 hits theaters on May 7 and, as one must surely expect at this point, it’s going to be accompanied by a veritable tidal wave of merchandise based on the film and comic books. At Toy Fair 2010 in New York, Hasbro debuted a wide variety of Iron Man 2 action figures, accessories, games and other playthings, but the most bafflingly incredible item in the lineup is surely Tony Starch, who is lovingly staring at you from the top of this post.

Yes, Hasbro is releasing an Iron Man Mr. Potato Head, who joins the ranks of Darth Tater, Optimash Prime, Spider Spud and other licensed side dishes-turned collectibles. Did I say collectibles? I meant toys. Yep. Toys are for kids, right? Why would I, a 26-year-old man, have any interest in buying an Iron Man-themed Mr. Potato Head? That’s just dumb…

Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll take two.

Head over to MTV’s Splash Page for a look at Hasbro’s entire Iron Man 2 line.

Have a Drink on Tony Stark

Sure, most people probably associate Iron Man with Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” a song that has absolutely nothing to do with the Marvel superhero but kicks ass nevertheless. However, it looks like AC/DC have become ol’ shellhead’s new go-to rockers, especially when it comes to his hit movie franchise. “Back in Black” featured pretty prominently in Jon Favreau’s original Iron Man, and the soundtrack for the sequel is essentially an AC/DC greatest hits album.

AC/DC: Iron Man 2 will feature 15 tracks from 10 of the band’s studio albums from 1976 to 2008. As expected, one of those tracks is “War Machine,” one of my favorite songs off their underrated 2008 disc Black Ice. When I first heard that song, I was convinced that AC/DC wrote it specifically for Iron Man 2, in which Iron Man/Tony Stark’s pal James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard) steps into the War Machine armor. Maybe I was right.

Other songs on the album include “Shoot to Thrill,” “Guns for Hire” and “Have a Drink on Me.” While Iron Man 2 opens in the U.S. on May 7, the album hits shelves on April 19.

“Music is an integral part of the Tony Stark and Iron Man experience, and we are pleased that Columbia and AC/DC are taking part in the franchise’s phenomenon,” Marvel Studios chief operating officer Tim Connors said in a statement. “Through this relationship, the band is delivering fans supercharged Iron Man-branded music through all our combined consumer touch points, from the movie to retail outlets and even virally with the debut of the new video.”

New video you say? “Shoot to Thrill,” is the debut video from the soundtrack/greatest hits collection. Watch it below. For more info, visit marvel.com or acdc.com.

Iron Man 2: The IMAX Experience Opens May 7

Marvel Entertainment and Paramount Pictures announced on January 14 that Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2 will open in IMAX theaters simultaneously with its worldwide release on May 7. The IMAX version of the film will be digitally re-mastered using IMAX DMR (Digital Re-Mastering) technology.

Bottom line? Ol’ shellhead will look and sound pretty awesome in this limited release.

“The success of the first Iron Man movie catapulted the franchise from the comic books to theatre screens, and we're excited that the IMAX format will offer fans an even more immersive way to experience the sequel," said Marvel Studios CEO Tim Connors in a statement.

Iron Man 2 stars Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell. But you knew that already.

Iron Man 2 Trailer Now Online! (Update With Video)

Oh my. Iron Man 2 is going to be a damn good sequel.

Judging by the movie’s new trailer—which Apple debuted yesterday—director Jon Favreau is bringing the awesome and bringing it hard. We’ve got Iron Man and War Machine in a massive shootout with armored bad guys, Robert Downey Jr. at his scene-stealing best, Mickey Rourke as the badass—and suitably creepy—new villain Whiplash and Scarlett Johansson in skintight leather.

I could go on and describe everything that’s awesome about the trailer, but it’s probably best that you just watch it and geek out on your own. (Embed via Marvel.com.)

New Iron Man 2 Poster Features Mickey Rourke as Whiplash

And the Iron Man 2 images keep coming! Apple has debuted a pretty awesome poster featuring Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, complete with badass energy whips and, judging by the newspaper clips in the background, an unhealthy obsession with Tony Stark. I was worried about how this character would work onscreen, but it seems as though director Jon Favreau and his crew have the right idea. Rourke is going to own this role.

Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7, but, according to Film School Rejects, a trailer for the anticipated will be attached to Sherlock Holmes, which also stars Robert Downey Jr. That film opens Christmas Day.

Tony Stark Doesn’t Seem All That Happy in the Iron Man 2 International Poster

Just days after the first teaser poster for Iron Man 2 hit the Web, Empire unveiled the film’s international teaser poster, which shows Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) suited up, unmasked and pissed off. This poster is likely meant to reflect the sequel’s darker tone, but let’s be honest: superhero angst is where it’s at these days.
It’s not quite as cool as the domestic teaser—which gave us our first look at James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) in his War Machine armor—but it does the job. After the success of the first Iron Man, it’s not like the sequel is a hard sell.

Iron Man 2 hits theaters May 7.

Iron Man 2 Teaser Poster Hits the Web

On November 30, Yahoo! Movies unveiled the first teaser poster for Iron Man 2, which hits theaters next May. There’s not much to say about it, except that it gives fans their first real glimpse of Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) suited up as War Machine. He looks, well, like War Machine should look. Good stuff!

What do you think, Wortmaniacs?