Hollywood Fearful of GTA 4 vs. Iron Man

More speculation is pouring in that tomorrow's release of Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360) could dampen this Friday's arrival of the Iron Man film and its accompanying game, though not everyone is convinced.

"There's a big reset happening now," Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello told the Financial Times. "I don't think I've ever heard of [Hollywood being afraid of a game] before."

Last fall, some Hollywood executives blamed Bungie's Halo 3 (X360) for a 27% drop in ticket sales, causing a bit of Grand Theft Auto IV paranoia in Tinsel Town.

Earlier this month, a report surfaced that GTA 4 publisher Take-Two expects sales of $400 million in the game's first week on store shelves. The best of estimates have the Robert Downey Jr.-starring Iron Man flick pulling in a scant $100 million during its opening weekend at the box office.

However, not everyone believes that Grand Theft Auto IV is such a bad thing.

"Gamers buying GTA 4 are going to be talking about the game and they're going to be talking about the movies," prophesied Paul Dergarabedian, CEO of box office sales-tracking firm Media by Numbers. "The movie they will be talking about is Iron Man."

"The two properties can co-exist in the marketplace," added Marvel Studios worldwide marketing president Geoff Ammer. "We believe that moviegoers will make going to see Iron Man part of their weekend plans."