Iron Man 3 (stylized onscreen as Iron Man Three) is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.1 It is the sequel to 2008's Iron Man and 2010's Iron Man 2, and the seventh film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shane Black directed a screenplay he co-wrote with Drew Pearce, which uses concepts from the "Extremis" story arc by Warren Ellis. The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, and Ben Kingsley. In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark deals with posttraumatic stress disorder caused by the events of The Avengers, while investigating the reemergence of the Ten Rings, led by the mysterious Mandarin and comes into a conflict with an old enemy: Aldrich Killian.
After the release of Iron Man 2 in May 2010, Favreau, who served as director, decided not to return, and in February 2011 Black was hired to write and direct the film. Black and Pearce opted to make the script more character-centric and focused on thriller elements. Throughout April and May 2012, the film's supporting cast was filled out, with Kingsley, Pearce, and Hall brought in to portray key roles. Filming began on May 23, and lasted through December 17, 2012, primarily at EUE/Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. Additional shooting took place at various locations around North Carolina, as well as Florida, China, and Los Angeles. The visual effects were handled by 17 companies, including Scanline VFX, Digital Domain, and Weta Digital. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.
Iron Man 3 premiered at the Grand Rex in Paris on April 14, 2013. It began its release on April 25, 2013, internationally, and debuted in the United States one week later on May 3. The film received generally positive reviews and was commercially successful, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide, the second-highest-grossing film of 2013 overall, and the second-highest-grossing film at the domestic box office released in 2013. It became the sixteenth film to gross over $1 billion and the 5th-highest-grossing film of all time, with its opening weekend ranking as the 6th-highest-grossing opening of all time. The film also received a nomination for Academy Award in the category of Best Visual Effects, and received another nomination for BAFTA Award in the same category.
