It’s not every weekend that the movie-going public and fat cat studio execs get to go home happy.  Thanks to a $100 million opening weekend take and a believable performance from Robert Downey Jr., there was a smile so wide that it stretched all the way from Hollywood to Fifth Avenue, Manhattan.

What’s great about the flick is that geeks are easily able to convince their “cooler” friends and significant others to accompany them.  This is made simple because of a slick trailer, an A-list actor and lots of begging.

Iron Man falls in line as a close second - behind Spiderman - for a comic book debut at the movies.

Fans, Marvel and the studios can remain happy; all of the main players signed a three-picture deal.  Isn’t it nice when something actually lives up to the hype?

Box office competition will continue to be weak in the coming weeks, except for Speed Racer (which I’m just not feeling).  Look for Iron Man’s repulsor rays to keep him on top for quite a while.