Some "Footloose" teenagers will make their moves on the boxing robots of "Real Steel" this weekend. Yet Paramount's updated version of the 1984 mega-hit will have to really shake it to beat "Steel's" expected second-weekend take of $17 million.
The original "Footloose," starring Kevin Bacon as a renegade teen who wants to bring his dance skills to a small town, was the seventh highest grossing film released that year. The new version updates the stars and the music, but the story of local values vs. personal expression is basically the same.
Weekend audiences will be horrified by yet more images of the '80s as Universal's reimagining of "The Thing" creeps into theaters with a likely debut in the low-teens. The original 1951 version about a group of scientists who are stalked by an angry alien while trapped in Antarctica was updated in 1982 by revered horror director John Carpenter.
Sony's R-rated political drama "The Ides of March," starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, enters its second weekend with solid midweek momentum that should return about $7 million in box office balloting. The film polled well with critics and should continue to find support from discerning audiences.
Rounding out the top five, Warner Bros.' "Dolphin Tale" will likely plunge into its fourth weekend with a $5 million splash. But be on the lookout for Fox's comedic newcomer "The Big Year" — starring Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin as a trio of avid bird watchers — to possibly worm its way into the pecking order.
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Paul Dergarabedian is president of the Box Office Division of Hollywood.com and provides box office analysis for The Associated Press.
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