The theme song for the old "Speed Racer" cartoon included the phrase, "Go, Speed Racer, go."
But in theaters across the country, where the movie came in a distant second to last week's chart-topper "Iron Man," audiences modified it to, "No, 'Speed Racer,' no."
That was especially true in Inland Southern California, where the movie came in third place behind "Iron Man" and the Cameron Diaz-Ashton Kutcher screwball romantic comedy "What Happens in Vegas."
"'Iron Man' is not worried," said Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com, which follows the industry. "The film has been cheered by critics and audiences, plus competition from new films is not too strong."
Inland audiences were out in full force this weekend: The top four movies overperformed in the Inland area, and the box office in the region was up 19 percent over the same weekend last year.
