The summer movie season officially begins Friday, but Paramount's "Iron Man" will invade early with thousands of screenings tonight nationwide.

Already there are more than 130 screenings beginning at 8 p.m. in metro Atlanta theaters. That's a change from the usual 11:59 p.m. or 12:01 a.m. sneak previews Hollywood has used in the past to launch potential blockbusters.

While the early salvo looks like it could reduce the box-office tally for the film's official three-day opening weekend, the Hollywood Reporter speculates that Paramount is counting on word-of-mouth buzz from the early screenings to increase Saturday audiences.

The move may also be part of Hollywood's summer strategy. With big projects coming each Friday ("Speed Racer" opens May 9, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" on May 16, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" on May 22), some studios are looking harder at opening-week box office than opening-weekend box office.

Predictions have been that "Iron Man" will earn $60 million to $70 million or more its first weekend. And buzz has been building. In early reviews, "Iron Man" has earned an 88 percent approval rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Associated Press movie critic Christy Lemire calls it "a blockbuster with a brain."

The film has the expected explosions and eye-popping CGI, but the screenplay also has input from two of the writers involved with 2006's heady drama "Children of Men."

Paramount screened the film Tuesday night in some Atlanta theaters. Several scenes have also been available on Youtube.com for weeks.

At just over two hours, the film, based on the Marvel comic, involves billionaire weapons manufacturer Tony Stark, who invents a remarkable metallic suit enabling him to single-handedly fight terrorist forces.

Here's what fans will likely be talking about as "Iron Man" opens:

> The first firefight: The initial bomb can jolt you out of your seat —- even though you know it's coming. In an attack on a military motorcade there are large explosions and intense sprays of bullets.

> Robert Downey Jr.: Always a reliable, interesting actor, he plays Stark with the same wit, arrogance and charm he brought to TV's "Ally McBeal." He lets the jokes fly (as the consummate party boy he orders military man Terrence Howard to ride "in the Humdrumvee"). Expect "Iron Man" to seriously raise his status in Hollywood.

> The gadgets: Stark drives a sleek, cool Audi R8. His garage wheels include a Shelby Cobra, a Saleen S7 and a Tesla Roadster. Oh, and his private jet comes with a stripper pole.

> The co-stars: Jeff Bridges, in bald head and beard, is a standout as executive Obadiah Stane. So is Gwyneth Paltrow, who thankfully drops her usual fake English accent to play Stark's assistant Pepper Potts.

> The "futurism": The schematics, the metalworks, the CGI and the sleek, roadster-red tinged titanium alloy suit all meld to give the film the feel of "The Terminator" meets "Spider-Man."

COMING FRIDAY

A review of "Iron Man" and an interview with Robert Downey. In Movies & More