2013 an Iron Man 3-led record year for Hollywood box office

LOS ANGELES: Tony Stark did more than save the world in Iron Man 3. He helped deliver a record summer in theatres and carry Hollywood to a new high for all of 2013.

With two days left, US and Canadian cinemas are certain to pass last year’s record $10.8 billion in ticket sales by about 1%, researcher Rentrak Corp said Tuesday in a statement.

Studios spaced out their biggest films to avoid head-to-head competition, and produced more releases with domestic revenue of $200 million-plus, often with exhibitors charging extra for larger screens, plush seats and better sound.

“To get people to come out and spend the extra money, the movie has to be over the top,” said Martin Pyykkonen, an analyst with Wedge Partners in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

“That’s one reason studios have become so good, and so focused, at producing bigger blockbuster movies.”

Walt Disney’s Iron Man 3, topping the US box office with $409 million in sales, underscored Hollywood’s success revisiting hits, leading the industry to a second-straight annual record after drops the prior two years.

Eight of the top 10 films were sequels or revivals of action, fantasy, animation or sci-fi hits, according to Box Office Mojo. Two of those, The Hunger Games and The Hobbit, return with new episodes in 2014.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second of three new films from the work of JRR Tolkien, led USsales for a third-straight weekend, even with fresh competition from Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. The Hobbit has taken in $190.3 million domestically since its December 13 debut and $614.1 million worldwide for Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros, the 2013 box-office leader, according to Box Office Mojo.

The year’s winners were accompanied by a few duds. The Lone Ranger, from Disney, lost $160 million to $190 million, according to an August conference call transcript. Sony Corp’s film studio stumbled in the summer box-office season. Big-budget tentpoles After Earth, with Will Smith, and White House Down failed to connect with audiences.