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'Speed Racer' debuts at distant second

Story Highlights
"Speed Racer" took in $20.2 million during opening weekend
The movie was lapped by "Iron Man," which stayed No. 1 with $50.5 million
"What Happens in Vegas" came in third with $20 million
Five of the top 10 grossing movies were comedies
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LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- "Speed Racer" was lapped in its opening weekend at the box office as "Iron Man" continued to fire its jets with $50.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Emile Hirsch stars in "Speed Racer," which was No. 2 at the box office this weekend.

The anime-inspired race movie edged into the No. 2 spot with $20.2 million, slightly ahead of the 20th Century Fox comedy "What Happens in Vegas," which debuted at $20 million.

"Our tracking was stalled toward the end," said Dan Fellman, president of Warner Bros. theatrical distribution of market surveys before the "Speed Racer" opening.

Directed by the Wachowski brothers, best known for the "Matrix" franchise, "Speed Racer" was panned by many film critics. Fellman added the movie would have difficulty recouping its $120 million budget.

"Unfortunately it didn't perform to our expectations," he said.

"What Happens in Vegas," a romantic comedy that cost $35 million and stars Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, shot the gap between the action flicks, said Chris Aronson, senior vice president at 20th Century Fox.

BOX OFFICE TOP 10

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Iron Man," $50.5 million.
2. "Speed Racer," $20.2 million.
3. "What Happens in Vegas," $20 million.
4. "Made of Honor," $7.6 million.
5. "Baby Mama," $5.8 million.
6. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," $3.8 million.
7. "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," $3.2 million.
8. "The Forbidden Kingdom," $1.9 million.
9. "Nim's Island," $1.3 million.
10. "Redbelt," $1.1 million.

"We were sandwiched between the comic book movie of 'Iron Man' and 'Speed Racer,'" Aronson said. "We come along with a character-driven movie in what is now considered summer, and it's just a great result."

Revenue for Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" slipped just 49 percent in its second week in theaters, a respectable showing considering its massive opening, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media By Numbers LLC.

"'Iron Man' is basically pulling everybody's audience. It's really dominating the marketplace," he said.

Five of the top 10 grossing movies were comedies, including Sony Pictures' Patrick Dempsey-led film, "Made of Honor," which took in $7.6 million in its second week, for fourth place.

The weekend's total domestic box office gross hit $128 million, up 21 percent from last year. But year-to-date revenue was still down 2.5 percent at $2.93 billion, while attendance was off 5.3 percent.

Over the next few weeks, several big movies will take a shot at knocking "Iron Man" off its perch, starting with "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," opening May 16, and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on May 22.

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