Iron Man 3 premiere moved for Iron Lady's funeral

The premiere of 'Iron Man 3' is to be rescheduled due to the funeral plans for former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

The premiere had been set for April 17 – the same day as the ceremonial funeral for 'the Iron Lady' at St Paul's Cathedral – but will now happen the following day, April 18, instead.

[Related story: Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead tops download chart after Thatcher death]

It was thought that to have both events on the same day would have presented a 'logistical nightmare' for Westminster council, according to the Evening Standard.

Disney then offered to move the premiere, taking place at the Odeon on London's Leicester Square, to the next day.

The paper added that the film's stars due to be in attendance for the event, including Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow, were 'most accommodating' about the move.

It emerged yesterday that the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, Shirley Bassey, Joan Collins, Sir Terry Wogan and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber are among the 2000 people invited to the funeral, which will also be attended by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

It also follows news that 'Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead', from the film 'The Wizard of Oz', is climbing the charts after a campaign was initiated to get the song to number one following the death of the former prime minister.

It has already reached number one in the iTunes chart, and is in striking range of the top three in the Official Singles Chart, leaving the BBC with the sensitive issue of whether or not to play it if it does reach number one during the charts show on Sunday.

The world of entertainment has been split in its reactions to the death of Baroness Thatcher.

Meryl Streep, who played Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady, paid a glowing tribute earlier this week, calling her 'a figure of awe'.

Director Ken Loach, however, was less complimentary, suggesting that her funeral be privatised rather than being paid for by the public.