娱乐英语新闻:"Iron Man 2" retains crown at North America box office in 2nd weekend

LOS ANGELES, May 16 (Xinhua) -- "Iron Man 2" from Paramount winds off its second week of run in North America box office as the performer at the top, holding off Oscar-winner Russell Crowe's "Robin Hood" with a haul of 53 million U.S. dollars, the North America box office authority said on Sunday.

The sequel based on Marvel Comis characters is on track to take its two-week harvest to 212.2 million U.S. dollars, the authority said basing itself on projected statistics.

As the fifth collaboration between Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott, Universal's "Robin Hood" opened to an estimated 37.1 million U.S. dollars weekend take in the United States and Canada, falling well below forecasts of an opening in the 40 million to 45 million U.S. dollars range.

Poster of "Iron Man 2"

Crowe stars as the 13th century legendary archer whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. The action drama, which costs at least 155 million U.S. dollars to make, has received middling reviews.

Two other films also made their debut at the weekend. "Letters to Juliet," a romantic drama from Summit Entertainment, premiered as No. 3 with 13.8 million U.S. dollars. It stars Vanessa Redgrave as an Englishwoman on a quest for her long-lost sweetheart in the legendary Italian countryside.

Fox/Searchlight's "Just Wright," a romantic comedy with a love and basketball approach featuring rap star Common and Queen Latifah, was No. 4 with a projected haul of 8.5 million U.S. dollars. Common acts as a hurt NBA star, while Queen Latifah plays the role of a physical therapist trying to get him back on track.

Rounding out the top five is DreamWorks Animation's perennial " How to Train Your Dragon." The 3-D animated fantasy took in 5.1 million U.S. dollars this weekend for a total of 207.8 million U.S. dollars over eight weeks.