'Iron Man 2' shows mettle at North American box office

Superhero sequel "Iron Man 2" showed its steel at the North American box office this weekend, raking in 133.

6 million dollars to score the fifth highest opening gross in Hollywood history, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said Monday.

The Marvel franchise with Robert Downey Jr in the lead role as billionaire arms dealer turned crime fighter Tony Stark overpowered all other contenders but failed to beat the record opening set by Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" in 2008.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street," the slasher remake, was knocked to second place, its take at the box office down sharply to 9.1 million dollars from the previous week.

"How to Train Your Dragon," the animated Dreamworks fantasy hit, came in third, pulling in 6.7 million dollars for a total gross of 201 million dollars after seven weeks in the theaters.

"Date Night," with Tina Fey and Steve Carell as a jaded married couple in search of a rare romantic evening without the kids, earned 5.4 million dollars for fourth place.

Fifth place went to "The Back-Up Plan," a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez, which took five million dollars in receipts.

"Furry Vengeance," a family comedy about a group of woodland critters who fight a housing development on an animal reserve, was sixth, earning 4.5 million dollars.

"Clash of the Titans," about the exploits of Perseus and the serpent-haired Medusa, was seventh with 2.5 million in ticket sales.

"Death at a Funeral," a remake featuring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan, brought in 2.3 million dollars in its third week out, for eighth place.

In at ninth place was the documentary "Babies", an acclaimed film following the fortunes of a group of newly borns around the world, earning 2.2 million.

Sinking to 10th was "The Losers," an action film adaptation of the comic book of the same name. It took in 1.8 million dollars.