Pain and Gain muscles the US box office and Iron Man 3 rules internationally

Michael Bay’s crime dramady, Pain and Gain, opened number one in North America with $20 million in the box office over the weekend. Based on real events, the film tells the story of three bodybuilders (Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie) whose plot to extort and murder rich victims goes hideously awry.

Tom Cruise’s Oblivion dropped to the second spot with $17.4 million, reaching a total US cume of $64.7 million. The sci fi thriller remained strong in the overseas, ranking third in its third weekend with $12.8 million. It’s worldwide total stands at $198.8 million.

Holding nicely in the third place was Jackie Robinson’s baseball biopic, 42, grossing $10.7 millions in its third weekend, pushing its domestic total to $69.1 million. It was followed by comedy, The Big Wedding, which debuted to a disappointing $7.5 million, in spite of the star-studded cast, which included Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Katherine Heigl and Susan Sarandon.

The Croods, continued to make gains in its sixth weekend, claiming the fifth spot in the US with $6.6 million.  The 3D toon was also ranked no. 2 overseas with $13.1 million, pushing its foreign total to $308 million and its worldwide cume to $471 million.

The biggest winner of the weekend that made Hollywood history was tentpole Iron Man 3, which crowned the International box office with a super-hero-sized $195.3 million, surpassing The Avengers  last year’s $185.1 million debut. The superhero sequel, starring Rober Downy Jr., will open next weekend in the US.