I can't think of any real reason to read on, unless Iron Man 2's unusual domestic underachievement and/or Dino De Laurentis's latest pulpy interests matter to you in the slightest.
· Listen, no one around here is calling Iron Man 2 a flop or anything, but this observation is interesting: The Marvel sequel dropped out of the top 10 over the weekend with a cumulative $307 million in eight weeks -- a week earlier than its predecessor dropped out with $309 million in 2008. That suggests an unexpected scenario in which IM2 grosses less in America than the first film. But: It's doing better overseas that the first Iron Man, so don't cry for it just yet. [LAT]
· Dino De Laurentiis grabbed the rights to novelist James Rollins' Sigma Force series, about a secret group of elite government scientists involved in securing dangerous information through "counterterrorism, research and covert ops." Basically The Da Vinci Code with lab coats. [THR]
· New Line's upcoming Drew Barrymore/Justin Long romcom Going the Distance was based on the relationship of an actual New Line exec, and the last half of the script was written over a weekend during a bender of "beer, coffee and Subway sandwiches." Anticipate accordingly. [Variety]