Iron Man, Hollywood's first release of the blockbuster summer season, takes off here today as part of a 55-country weekend blitz.

The new comic book adaptation from Marvel Studios has earned praise for Robert Downey Jr's performance as an arms dealer who turns to crime fighting. Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges also star.

Much is riding on the film's first weekend as executives look for a strong three-day launch to give it a good chance of recouping the hefty production and marketing costs, believed to be in excess of $250m (£126.1m).

Should the film perform as planned, the ongoing rewards for key participants like cast, director and producers could be huge. Brad Grey, chairman of distributor Paramount Pictures, said last night that a strong opening weekend would effectively greenlight a sequel for 2010.

This summer will see a panoply of potential blockbusters headed for our cinemas with such eagerly awaited cinematic morsels as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Chronicles of Narnia sequel Prince Caspian, Batman Begins follow-up The Dark Knight, Sex and the City and The Mummy 3.