Iron Man 3 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Iron Man 3
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Shane Black
Produced by	Kevin Feige
Screenplay by	Shane Black Drew Pearce
Starring	Robert Downey Jr. Gwyneth Paltrow Don Cheadle Guy Pearce Rebecca Hall Stéphanie Szostak James Badge Dale William Sadler Miguel Ferrer Jon Favreau Ben Kingsley
Music by	Brian Tyler
Cinematography	John Toll
Editing by	Jeffrey Ford Peter S. Elliot
Studio	Marvel Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date(s)	April 14, 2013 (2013-04-14) (Grand Rex) May 3, 2013 (2013-05-03) (United States)
Running time	131 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$200 million
Money made	$1.215 billion

Iron Man 3 is an exciting superhero movie from 2013. It's based on the famous Marvel Comics character, Iron Man. This film was made by Marvel Studios and shared by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It's the third movie in the Iron Man series and the seventh film in the amazing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The movie was directed by Shane Black, who also helped write the story with Drew Pearce. It stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man. Other stars include Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Ben Kingsley. In the film, Tony Stark is dealing with the tough things that happened in The Avengers. He faces a new threat from a mysterious villain called the Mandarin.

After Iron Man 2 came out, a new director, Shane Black, was chosen for this film. He worked to make the story more about the characters and added thrilling mystery elements. The movie also used ideas from the "Extremis" comic book story. Filming happened in many places, like Wilmington, North Carolina, Florida, Los Angeles, and even China. When it was released, Iron Man 3 got great reviews. People loved the action, the directing, and Robert Downey Jr.'s acting. It was a huge success at the box office, earning over $1.2 billion worldwide!

Meet the Characters

Here are some of the main characters you'll see in Iron Man 3:

• Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man: Tony is a super smart inventor, a rich businessman, and a hero. He builds amazing metal suits that let him fly and fight. After his adventures in The Avengers, Tony is struggling with anxiety.
• Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts: Pepper is Tony's girlfriend and the boss of his company, Stark Industries.
• Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes / Iron Patriot: Rhodey is Tony's best friend and works with the U.S. Air Force. He wears a special suit of armor called the Iron Patriot, which looks like the War Machine armor but with American flag colors.
• Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian: Killian is a very smart scientist who created something called the Extremis virus. He leads a science group called Advanced Idea Mechanics. He pretends to be the Mandarin. Extremis gives him special powers like healing quickly, super strength, and even breathing fire!
• Rebecca Hall as Maya Hansen: Maya is a scientist who helped Killian create the Extremis virus.
• Stéphanie Szostak as Ellen Brandt: Ellen is a former soldier who becomes a dangerous fighter after being exposed to Extremis.
• James Badge Dale as Eric Savin: Savin is one of Killian's main helpers, and he also has Extremis powers.
• William Sadler as Matthew Ellis: He is the President of the United States in the movie.
• Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan: Happy used to be Tony's bodyguard and driver. Now he's in charge of security at Stark Industries.
• Ben Kingsley as Trevor Slattery: Trevor is an actor hired by Killian to pretend to be the Mandarin, a scary terrorist leader.

You'll also hear Paul Bettany as J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony's smart computer system. Ty Simpkins plays Harley Keener, a young boy who helps Tony fix his suit. Tony gives Harley lots of cool tools as a thank you. Shaun Toub briefly appears as Yinsen from the first Iron Man movie. Even Stan Lee, the famous comic book creator, has a fun cameo as a beauty pageant judge! Mark Ruffalo also makes a surprise appearance as Bruce Banner (the Hulk) in a scene after the credits.

Making the Movie

Filming for Iron Man 3 started in Wilmington, North Carolina, in May 2012. The movie used lots of special effects, so the filmmakers used digital cameras.

Many scenes were shot in North Carolina. For example, a big Christmas tree was set up for a scene at the Epic Games headquarters. The Port of Wilmington was used for the oil tanker in the big final battle. Tony Stark's crumbling house was filmed on a special platform that could move and break apart. Inside the house, they used real effects like falling debris and explosions. Computers were used to add the outside views and Iron Man's armor.

One exciting scene where Iron Man saves people falling from a plane was filmed over the Atlantic Ocean near Oak Island, North Carolina. Instead of just using green screens, they used real skydivers! Computers added clouds, the destroyed plane, and the Florida coastline in the background.

Filming also took place in Rose Hill, North Carolina, and the town's name was even used in the script. Production had to pause for a bit when Robert Downey Jr. hurt his ankle, but they started again soon.

Later, the cast and crew moved to Florida to film scenes on Dania Beach and in Miami. They even filmed at the beautiful Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. After that, they returned to Wilmington for more filming.

Finally, some scenes were shot in Beijing, China, in December 2012. These scenes didn't include the main actors. The total cost to make Iron Man 3 was about $200 million.

Movie Music

The music for Iron Man 3 was created by Brian Tyler. He wanted the music to have strong themes and melodies. He used a full orchestra to create the sounds. The main theme for Iron Man uses horns and trumpets, making it sound like a powerful march.

Brian Tyler was inspired by the music from movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark. He felt the music for the Extremis virus should sound a bit magical because the technology is so advanced. For the Mandarin's theme, the music mixes different cultures, like religious chants from various parts of the world. The music was recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the famous Abbey Road Studios.

Besides the movie's score, a separate album called Heroes Fall was released. It has twelve original rock songs inspired by the film, though only one of them is actually heard in the movie.

Release Information

When and Where It Came Out

Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow in Paris at the film's French premiere at the Grand Rex, April 2013

Iron Man 3 was shown all over the world by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. However, in China, it was released by DMG Entertainment. The Chinese version of the movie had some extra scenes just for Chinese audiences. These scenes included more of Tony meeting Dr. Wu and some product placement for Chinese products.

The movie first premiered in Paris, France, on April 14, 2013, at the Grand Rex theater. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow were there! The film then opened in many countries between April 22 and 24. It came out in the United States on May 3, showing on 4,253 screens.

Iron Man 3 was also shown in special IMAX theaters, which have huge screens. It was even shown in the 4DX format in some countries. This format adds cool effects like strobe lights, moving seats, wind, fog, and even smells to make you feel like you're in the movie! Iron Man 3 was the very first film to kick off Phase Two of the MCU.

Watching It at Home

Iron Man 3 became available for digital download on September 3, 2013. Later that month, on September 24, 2013, you could buy it on Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray, DVD, and watch it on demand.

The home video release included a special short film called Agent Carter. This short movie stars Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter from Captain America: The First Avenger. Iron Man 3 was very popular for home viewing, earning over $82 million in sales in the U.S. It was also part of a big box set called "Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Two Collection" that came out in 2015.

What's Next?

Possible Future Movies

After Iron Man 3, there was talk about whether Robert Downey Jr. would continue playing Iron Man. His original contract with Marvel Studios ended after this movie. While he said in 2014 there were no plans for an Iron Man 4, he later said he was open to playing the role again. However, after Tony Stark's story ended in Avengers: Endgame (2019), the writers mentioned that it was a bold choice by Marvel to end his journey.

Marvel One-Shot Film

In February 2014, Marvel released a short film called All Hail the King. This film was included with the home video release of Thor: The Dark World. It features Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery, the actor from Iron Man 3. This short movie reveals that the real Mandarin actually exists in the MCU!

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Previsualization of the Mark 42 armor (top) and the completed shot (bottom)