‘Iron Man 3’ Setting Overseas Records While Joss Whedon Reveals New ‘Avengers 2’ Characters During Premiere

While moviegoers in the United States will have to wait until May 3 to watch “Iron Man 3,” the Marvel film starring Robert Downey Jr. is already in theaters overseas and setting box-office records.

“Iron Man 3” opening in foreign markets ahead of its domestic debut is nothing new for the franchise, as “Iron Man 2” premiered in theaters overseas before arriving in theaters in America, notes The Hollywood Reporter. In its first day in theaters overseas, including Australia, France, Italy, the Philippines and Taiwan, “Iron Man 3” grossed $13.4 million.

THR is reporting that early box office estimates could see the first Marvel movie following “The Avengers” could earn upward of $110 million as it rolls out to every overseas market save Russia and China. “Iron Man 3” will premiere in theaters in China on May 3, the same day as its North American debut.

Disney, Marvel’s parent company, received even more good news ahead of “Iron Man 3,” as it resolved its dispute with Regal Cinemas and AMC Theaters that halted advanced ticket sales of “Iron Man 3” while the theater owners pulled movie advertising, notes THR. This will help alleviate any fears that the theater owner dispute would disrupt or harm the box office of “Iron Man 3.”

“Iron Man 3” begins Marvel’s “Phase Two” slate of movies that will lead up to “The Avengers 2.” Speculation now begins on what the new movie will reveal in terms of new information for the highly anticipated sequel to 2012’s “The Avengers.”

Some rumors are circulating about “Iron Man 3’” stingers, or end-of-credit scenes, that could see Tony Stark going to space and meeting up with the cast of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Marvel’s final Phase Two movie , scheduled to be released in 2014. During the premiere of “Iron Man 3” in Hollywood, Joss Whedon, director of “The Avengers,” revealed some information about “The Avengers 2.”

In a red carpet interview with Yahoo, Whedon says he finished a first draft of the sequel to “The Avengers.” "It's an evolution, and that goes on all through shooting and it never stops. I've done enough shows and movies to be comfortable with that.”

What Whedon says later, according to Superhero Hype, is of particular interest. Whedon mentions working new characters into “The Avengers 2” and more specifically, “I've got these two characters, two of my favorite characters from the comic book, a brother-sister act. They're in the movie.” Superhero Hype notes that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch would be the obvious character Whedon is referring to in the interview.

The two characters are owned jointly by Fox and Marvel. Fox also owns the X-Men and Fantastic Four, while Sony owns Spider-Man, so their appearance in “The Avengers 2” is not implausible. Superhero Hype notes Whedon could be having fun and sending out some information that would be quickly seized about by the Internet.

View the red carpet with Joss Whedon below where “The Avengers” director discusses Marvel, “Iron Man 3,” “The Avengers 2” and the S.H.I.E.L.D television series.