Iron Man 3 tops 2013 box office

Iron Man was the biggest hit of the summer blockbuster season

Comic book blockbuster Iron Man 3 was the highest-earning film of 2013 around the world.

The film, in which Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as billionaire crime-fighter Tony Stark, made $1.2bn (£734m), according to online movie tracker Box Office Mojo.

Animated comedy Despicable Me 2 came in at number two with global takings of $918m (£555m).

In the third slot was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which made $795m (£480m).

Variety noted that the top 10 includes eight sequels or reboots, two original properties and three that were animated.

Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron's 3D film about astronauts adrift in space, is at number seven having made $653m (£395m) since it was released in October.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug also made a late entry into the top 10.

The second instalment in the big screen Hobbit adaptation, directed by Peter Jackson, has topped the north American box office since the film was released in mid-December.

The full top 10 is

• 1 Iron Man 3 - $1,215m (£734m)

• 2 Despicable Me 2 - $918m (£555m)

• 3 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- $795m (£480m)

• 4 Fast & Furious 6 - $788m (£476m)

• 5 Monsters University - $743m (£449m)

• 6 Man of Steel - $662m (£400m)

• 7 Gravity - $653m (£395m)

• 8 Thor: The Dark World - $629m (£380m)

• 9 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - $614m (£371m)

• 10 - The Croods - $587m (£355m)

Source: Box Office Mojo

According to other industry statistics, the north American box office is projected to reach $10.9bn (£6.6bn) this year - representing its largest ever take, surpassing 2012's total takings of $10.8bn (£6.5bn) by more than $100m (£60m).

But the estimated number of tickets sold remains similar to last year. The National Association of Theatre Owners projects the actual number of tickets sold in 2013 will remain at 1.36bn, the LA Times reported.

Ticket-price inflation and pricier 3D and Imax movies helped lift revenue to an all-time high even as attendance failed to match its peak, it said.