Iron Man Takes U.K. by Storm

Iron Man 3

, opened to record-breaking numbers in the U.K. and 42 other international markets alongside a range of licensing activity.

Set to open May 3 in the U.S. and China, the film brought in an estimated $195.3 million internationally in its opening weekend, topping

The Avengers

opening of $185.1 million.

The film did particularly well in the U.K., bringing in £13.7 million over its 4-day opening and significantly exceeding the opening weekend of the last two Iron Man movies (

Iron Man

took in £4.8 million and

Iron Man 2

£6.8 million).

Retailers and licensees have been quick to join in on the Iron Man craze.

British designer Julian Hakes created an Iron Man-inspired shoe, asking himself–“If Tony Stark were to design a pair of shoes for Pepper Potts, what would they look like?” 

The result is a futuristic version of the designer’s trademark Mojito shoe in Iron Man’s classic red and chrome suit colors and complete with an LED light.

“This collaboration with Julian

Additionally, retailers across the U.K. are featuring a full range of Iron Man 3 products, with Tesco also launching the “Stark Armoury” augmented reality app; local Disney Stores are hosting the Marvel Training Academy, where junior superheroes can learn all of Iron Man’s moves; kids’ virtual world Disney’s Club Penguin hosted its Marvel Super Hero Takeover for the second year in a row; and “Iron Man 3: The Official Video Game” was released for mobile devices.