Nearly six weeks in, the summer box office is running about seven percent ahead of last year, when "The Avengers" dominated at the expense of its rivals.
It's the depth of the marketplace. Last year at this time, "The Avengers" was assembling 41 percent of the market's grosses. This year, Disney's Marvel superhero saga "Iron Man 3" has been dominating — its nearly $400 million domestic haul is double that of runner-up "Fast & Furious 6" — but represents just 27 percent of the overall box office, according to BoxOffice.Mojo.
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It's played out pretty much as expected, with "Iron Man 3," "Fast & Furious 6" and "Star Trek Into Darkness" the top three films.