IRON MAN 3 has a lot to live up to in terms of box-office and critical success, as it happens to be following the biggest superhero film of all time, THE AVENGERS. One way it is attempting to bring in the bucks, is to reach out and embrace the ever growing East-Asian market. IRON MAN 3 filmed scenes in China and cast Chinese actors, as well as promising a different and exclusive cut of the film to Chinese audiences. It’s a tactic that many films will emulate, as TRANSFORMERS 4 has already announced it will also be heading to China to film. Another country where cinematic offerings mean big business is South Korea, where last year the three big superhero films; THE AVENGERS, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, reached a combine gross of $128,699,508.
This is probably why the stars descended upon Seoul for the World Premiere of IRON MAN 3, an extra special occasion as Robert Downey Jr. also celebrated his 48th birthday. Downey Jr. was treated to a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ and was also seen breaking out into his own rendition of Psy’s insanely popular ‘Gangnam Style’ dance routine. At a press conference in Seoul, Downey Jr. expressed his gratitude for his fans and the success of the franchise:
First of all I really want to thank the fans that came to the airport yesterday to greet me in Korea. I had a long flight and it was a very lovely surprise. It was like 10 o’clock and pretty late to be driving to the airport, and I just wanted to say I really appreciate it.
It was Downey Jr.’s first time back in South Korea since he appeared to promote the first IRON MAN film back in 2008:
Sitting up here and we’re talking about this verysuccessful franchise, and five years ago I really had no idea if it was going to be embraced by the public or not. And you know I play Tony Stark as this very brash, sarcastic, and confident guy, and I can be like that a little bit, but I find myself looking at these posters and sometimes kind of like wondering how this happened. My relationship with it has been one of a kind, with increasing humility and a lot of gratitude.
Seoul isn’t the only destination on the IRON MAN 3 road trip of publicity, as next up Downey Jr. will be heading to Beijing, followed by Moscow, Munich, Paris, London, Los Angeles and New York. Below you will find our exclusive pictures from the premiere, courtesy of our good friend Nikhil Katarya, who was lucky enough to be at the event.
IRON MAN 3 stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, and is co-written/directed by Shane Black . It’s released in the UK on the 26th April and in the US 3rd May.
Sources: Nikhil Katarya and THR
