SPIDER MAN - IRON MAN CONQUERS BOX OFFICE

The summer blockbuster season is truly underway with the release of Iron Man, smashing box office expectations by taking an estimated $101 million (£51 million) in the US and Canada in its opening weekend.

Iron Man has become one of only ten films to break the $100m barrier in its opening weekend, joining fellow super-hero films Spiderman and X-Men: The Last Stand.

The success of Iron Man is not limited to North America however, the film having taken a further $97 million (£49 million) globally, pushing its global total past $200 million (£101 million).

The film stars Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow, with Downey Jr playing a billionaire industrialist who invents a high-tech suit of armour which transforms him into the comic book hero.

It marks a long awaited return to the big screen for both actors, with Paltrow concentrating on raising a family and Downey Jr battling with drugs in recent years.

The comic book adaptation is the debut film for Marvel Studios, the newly created division of the famous comic book company.

Marvel Studios hope to continue its success with their next project, a new version of The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, due to be released in June.