Paramount film tickets top $1bn

Iron Man sees Robert Downey Jr make a comeback as an action hero

Paramount Pictures has topped $1bn (£500m)in US and Canadian ticket sales, boosted by hit films such as Iron Man and the latest Indiana Jones adventure.

Cloverfield and animated film Kung Fu Panda also contributed to it becoming the first studio to beat last year's record by nearly three weeks.

Paramount Chairman Brad Grey said: "It has been a wonderful year so far."

The studio did not produce any of the movies, but received a fee for distributing them.

The announcement comes days after the new Mike Myers comedy The Love Guru, which was produced by Paramount, opened with a disappointing $13.9m (£7m).

Hollywood pundits had expected it to open in the $20m (£10.1m) range.

The superhero saga Iron Man, starring Robert Downey Jr has now made a total of $305m (£155m) in the US and Canada.

Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has pulled in $291m (£148m).

Paramount has also benefited from Kung Fu Panda, which has made $156m (£79.3m) after three weekends.

Last week, the Viacom-owned studio surpassed the $1bn mark in international ticket sales.