Real Steel (2011)

Real Steel poster
Theatrical Performance
Domestic Box Office $85,463,309Details
International Box Office $178,417,032Details
Worldwide Box Office $263,880,341
Home Market Performance
Est. Domestic DVD Sales $32,305,454 Details
Est. Domestic Blu-ray Sales $18,987,244 Details
Total Est. Domestic Video Sales $51,292,698
Further financial details...

Synopsis

Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$27,319,677 (32.0% of total gross)
Legs:3.13 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:32.4% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$110,000,000 (worldwide box office is 2.4 times production budget)
Theater counts:3,440 opening theaters/3,440 max. theaters, 5.9 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $116,173,387

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

iTunes:iTunes
Google Play:Google Play
Netflix:Netflix, Netflix
Hulu:Hulu

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: October 7th, 2011 (Wide) by Walt Disney
October 7th, 2011 (IMAX) by Walt Disney
International Releases: October 21st, 2011 (Wide) (Brazil)
November 25th, 2011 (Wide) (Nigeria)
Video Release: January 24th, 2012 by Walt Disney Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language.
(Rating bulletin 2160, 2/23/2011)
Running Time: 126 minutes
Comparisons: vs. En kongelig affære
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Boxing, Robot, Comeback, Underdog, Organized Crime, Gambling, Dysfunctional Family, Romance, Young Child Dealing with the Death of a Parent, IMAX: DMR, Motion Capture Performance
Source:Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre:Action
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Science Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance BIG Entertainment, 21 Laps Entertainment, Montford Murphy
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Halloween (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 235 $6,815,832 Oct 28, 2011 24
Biggest Domestic October Weekend 55 $27,319,677 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 3-Day) 14 $27,319,677 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 18 $38,929,675 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon) 16 $30,728,105 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon, Inflation Adjusted) 18 $43,786,573 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 3-Day) 9 $27,319,677 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 13 $38,929,675 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 4-Day, Fri-Mon) 10 $30,728,105 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 4-Day, Fri-Mon, Inflation Adjusted) 12 $43,786,573 Oct 7, 2011 3

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 7, 2011 1 $27,319,677   3,440 $7,942   $27,319,677 1
Oct 14, 2011 1 $16,291,655 -40% 3,440 $4,736   $51,731,456 2
Oct 21, 2011 2 $10,824,512 -34% 3,412 $3,172   $66,732,152 3
Oct 28, 2011 6 $4,783,149 -56% 2,914 $1,641   $73,941,416 4
Nov 4, 2011 7 $3,436,086 -28% 2,438 $1,409   $78,779,328 5
Nov 11, 2011 10 $1,864,688 -46% 1,758 $1,061   $81,612,804 6
Nov 18, 2011 13 $553,871 -70% 702 $789   $82,557,917 7
Nov 25, 2011 17 $330,377 -40% 262 $1,261   $83,181,049 8
Dec 2, 2011 25 $183,228 -45% 253 $724   $83,425,009 9
Dec 9, 2011 28 $131,872 -28% 206 $640   $83,611,200 10
Dec 16, 2011 32 $80,352 -39% 155 $518   $83,737,282 11
Dec 23, 2011 27 $136,939 +70% 227 $603   $83,962,784 12
Dec 30, 2011 26 $240,399 +76% 227 $1,059   $84,493,241 13
Jan 6, 2012 25 $204,587 -15% 213 $961   $84,857,545 14
Jan 13, 2012 32 $141,579 -31% 187 $757   $85,054,193 15
Jan 20, 2012 37 $134,632 -5% 162 $831   $85,255,428 16
Jan 27, 2012 40 $85,846 -36% 123 $698   $83,371,428 17
Feb 10, 2012 58 $19,451   55 $354   $85,463,309 19

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Oct 7, 2011 1 $8,533,690     3,440 $2,481   $8,533,690 1
Oct 8, 2011 1 $10,815,610 +27%   3,440 $3,144   $19,349,300 2
Oct 9, 2011 1 $7,970,377 -26%   3,440 $2,317   $27,319,677 3
Oct 10, 2011 1 $3,408,428 -57%   3,440 $991   $30,728,105 4
Oct 11, 2011 1 $1,835,896 -46%   3,440 $534   $32,564,001 5
Oct 12, 2011 1 $1,405,914 -23%   3,440 $409   $33,969,915 6
Oct 13, 2011 1 $1,469,886 +5%   3,440 $427   $35,439,801 7
Oct 14, 2011 2 $4,518,633 +207% -47% 3,440 $1,314   $39,958,434 8
Oct 15, 2011 1 $7,340,245 +62% -32% 3,440 $2,134   $47,298,679 9
Oct 16, 2011 1 $4,432,777 -40% -44% 3,440 $1,289   $51,731,456 10
Oct 17, 2011 1 $1,052,984 -76% -69% 3,440 $306   $52,784,440 11
Oct 18, 2011 2 $1,160,798 +10% -37% 3,440 $337   $53,945,238 12
Oct 19, 2011 2 $940,057 -19% -33% 3,440 $273   $54,885,295 13
Oct 20, 2011 2 $1,022,345 +9% -30% 3,440 $297   $55,907,640 14
Oct 21, 2011 3 $3,105,491 +204% -31% 3,440 $903   $59,013,131 15
Oct 22, 2011 2 $4,885,151 +57% -33% 3,440 $1,420   $63,898,282 16
Oct 23, 2011 2 $2,833,870 -42% -36% 3,440 $824   $66,732,152 17
Oct 24, 2011 3 $604,589 -79% -43% 3,440 $176   $67,336,741 18
Oct 25, 2011 4 $674,376 +12% -42% 3,440 $196   $68,011,117 19
Oct 26, 2011 4 $552,524 -18% -41% 3,440 $161   $68,563,641 20
Oct 27, 2011 3 $594,626 +8% -42% 3,440 $173   $69,158,267 21
Oct 28, 2011 6 $1,332,449 +124% -57% 2,914 $457   $70,490,716 22
Oct 29, 2011 5 $2,136,602 +60% -56% 2,914 $733   $72,627,318 23
Oct 30, 2011 6 $1,314,098 -38% -54% 2,914 $451   $73,941,416 24
Oct 31, 2011 6 $381,186 -71% -37% 2,914 $131   $74,322,602 25
Nov 1, 2011 7 $381,866 n/c -43% 2,914 $131   $74,704,468 26
Nov 2, 2011 7 $312,215 -18% -43% 2,914 $107   $75,016,683 27
Nov 3, 2011 7 $326,559 +5% -45% 2,914 $112   $75,343,242 28
Nov 4, 2011 8 $928,809 +184% -30% 2,438 $381   $76,272,051 29
Nov 5, 2011 7 $1,591,107 +71% -26% 2,438 $653   $77,863,158 30
Nov 6, 2011 7 $916,170 -42% -30% 2,438 $376   $78,779,328 31
Nov 7, 2011 8 $207,062 -77% -46% 2,438 $85   $78,986,390 32
Nov 8, 2011 8 $268,901 +30% -30% 2,438 $110   $79,255,291 33
Nov 9, 2011 8 $188,975 -30% -39% 2,438 $78   $79,444,266 34
Nov 10, 2011 8 $303,850 +61% -7% 2,438 $125   $79,748,116 35
Nov 11, 2011 10 $678,456 +123% -27% 1,758 $386   $80,426,572 36
Nov 12, 2011 10 $763,734 +13% -52% 1,758 $434   $81,190,306 37
Nov 13, 2011 10 $422,498 -45% -54% 1,758 $240   $81,612,804 38
Nov 14, 2011 10 $95,414 -77% -54% 1,758 $54   $81,708,218 39
Nov 15, 2011 10 $107,634 +13% -60% 1,758 $61   $81,815,852 40
Nov 16, 2011 10 $95,348 -11% -50% 1,758 $54   $81,911,200 41
Nov 17, 2011 11 $92,846 -3% -69% 1,758 $53   $82,004,046 42

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 7, 2011 1 $35,439,801   3,440 $10,302   $35,439,801 1
Oct 14, 2011 1 $20,467,839 -42% 3,440 $5,950   $55,907,640 2
Oct 21, 2011 2 $13,250,627 -35% 3,412 $3,884   $69,158,267 3
Oct 28, 2011 6 $6,184,975 -53% 2,914 $2,123   $75,343,242 4
Nov 4, 2011 7 $4,404,874 -29% 2,438 $1,807   $79,748,116 5
Nov 11, 2011 10 $2,255,930 -49% 1,758 $1,283   $82,004,046 6
Nov 18, 2011 16 $846,626 -62% 702 $1,206   $82,850,672 7
Nov 25, 2011 20 $391,109 -54% 262 $1,493   $83,241,781 8
Dec 2, 2011 27 $237,547 -39% 253 $939   $83,479,328 9
Dec 9, 2011 30 $177,602 -25% 206 $862   $83,656,930 10
Dec 16, 2011 32 $168,915 -5% 155 $1,090   $83,825,845 11
Dec 23, 2011 25 $426,997 +153% 227 $1,881   $84,252,842 12
Dec 30, 2011 26 $400,116 -6% 227 $1,763   $84,652,958 13
Jan 6, 2012 25 $259,656 -35% 213 $1,219   $84,912,614 14
Jan 13, 2012 32 $208,182 -20% 187 $1,113   $85,120,796 15

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Brazil 10/21/2011 $0 0 1 2 $8,294,732 12/6/2015
Nigeria 11/25/2011 $0 0 9 9 $136,999 12/29/2018
 
Rest of World $169,985,301
 
International Total$178,417,032 12/29/2018

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US DVD Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Jan 29, 20121640,016 640,016$11,149,079$11,149,0791
Feb 5, 20123236,026-63% 876,042$4,718,160$15,867,2392
Feb 12, 20126112,459-52% 988,501$2,235,685$18,102,9243
Feb 19, 20123135,023+20% 1,123,524$1,763,400$19,866,3244
Feb 26, 20121074,766-45% 1,198,290$986,164$20,852,4885
Mar 4, 20121647,389-37% 1,245,679$792,344$21,644,8326
Mar 11, 20122231,624-33% 1,277,303$543,617$22,188,4497
Mar 18, 20122623,940-24% 1,301,243$417,992$22,606,4418
Mar 25, 20122920,162-16% 1,321,405$363,924$22,970,3659

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Jan 29, 20121401,885 401,885$11,248,761$11,248,7611
Feb 5, 2012495,363-76% 497,248$2,669,204$13,917,9652
Feb 12, 2012544,939-53% 542,187$1,337,374$15,255,3393
Feb 19, 2012447,236+5% 589,423$1,416,612$16,671,9514
Feb 26, 2012718,779-60% 608,202$563,177$17,235,1285
Mar 4, 20121511,027-41% 619,229$328,375$17,563,5036

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Netflix Daily Charts

DateRankDays In
Top 10
Vierwership
Score
Sep 25, 202031 8
Sep 26, 202032 16
Sep 27, 202033 24
Sep 28, 202034 32
Sep 29, 202035 40
Sep 30, 202046 47
Oct 1, 202067 52

Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.

Leading Cast

Hugh Jackman    Charlie Kenton

Supporting Cast

Dakota Goyo    Max Kenton
Evangeline Lilly    Bailing Tallet
Anthony Mackie    Finn
Kevin Durand    Ricky
Hope Davis    Aunt Debra
James Rebhorn    Marvin
Karl Yune    Tak Mashido
Olga Fonda    Farra Lemkova
John Gatins    Kingpin
Sophie Levy    Big Sister
Tess Levy    Little Sister
Charlie Levy    Littlest Sister
Gregory Sims    Bill Panner
Torey Adkins    Large Texas Man
Tom Carlson    San Leandro Gentleman #1
John Hawkinson    San Leandro Gentleman #2
David Alan Basche    ESPN Boxing Commentators
Phil LaMarr    ESPN Boxing Commentator
David Herbst    Starblaze Arena Reporter
Julian Gant    Starblaze Arena Reporters
Ken Alter    Virgin America Spectrum Ring Announcer
Leilani Barrett    Virgin America Spectrum Ref
Eric Gutman    WRB Promoter
Nicholas Yu    Twin Cities Corner Tech
D.B. Dickerson    Twin Cities Controller
Peter Carey    Bing Arena Announcer
Dan Lemieux    Bing Arean Ref
Rich Goteri    Older Gentleman
Tim Holmes    Blacktop Controller
Ricky Wayne Robinson, Jr.    Underground Promoter
Taris Tyler    Robot Promoter
Kevin Dorman    Atom Performance Capture
John Manfredi    Sergel Lemkova

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Shawn Levy    Director
John Gatins    Screenwriter
Dan Gilroy    Story Creator
Jeremy Leven    Story Creator
Richard Matheson    Based in part upon the short story "Steel"
Don Murphy    Producer
Susan Montford    Producer
Shawn Levy    Producer
Jack Rapke    Executive Producer
Robert Zemeckis    Executive Producer
Steve Starkey    Executive Producer
Steven Spielberg    Executive Producer
Josh McLaglen    Executive Producer
Mary McLaglen    Executive Producer
Mauro Fiore    Director of Photography
Tom Meyer    Production Designer
Dean Zimmerman    Editor
Marlene Stewart    Costume Designer
Eric Nash    Visual Effects Supervisor
Danny Elfman    Composer
Eric Hedayat    Co-Producer
Rick Benattar    Co-Producer
David Rubin    Casting
Richard Hicks    Casting Director
Mary McLaglen    Unit Production Manager
Josh McLaglen    1st Assistant Director
Maria Battle Campbell    2nd Assistant Director

Blu-ray Sales: Vamps Defeat Tramp

March 1st, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 and Lady and the Tramp switched places on the Blu-ray sales chart. The former rose to first place during its first full week on the home market selling 455,000 units / $10.46 million giving it an early total of 1.24 million units / $28.58 million. More...

DVD Sales: Twilight Sets

February 28th, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 remained on top of the DVD sales chart, although it fell to 1.45 million units / $26.03 million for the week giving it a total of 3.80 million units / $68.77 million after two. By comparison, Eclipse actually grew during its first full week of release and had sold 5.38 million units at this point in its run. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Lady and the Vamp

February 22nd, 2012

New releases took the top three spots on this week's Blu-ray sales chart, although the number one Blu-ray wasn't a new film. Lady and the Tramp came out in theaters more than 50 years ago, but it made its Blu-ray debut selling 949,000 units and generating $23.72 million. More...

Blu-ray Sales: In the Driver's Seat

February 14th, 2012

New releases dominated the Blu-ray sales chart with as many as four in the top five. (Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a bit of an odd case, but more on that in a second.) Drive led the way with 420,000 units / $8.39 million giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 57%. This is a great opening compared to the film's theatrical run. More...

DVD Sales: Searching for Treasure on the Home Market

February 14th, 2012

While there were a lot of new releases on this week's DVD sales chart, it was clearly a case of quantity over quality as even the best selling release was merely mediocre. Treasure Buddies was top dog with sales of 381,000 units / $6.47 million during its opening week. This is roughly in line with the previous installment, but below average for the franchise. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Steel Grabs the Loot

February 8th, 2012

There was no competition on the Blu-ray sales chart, as Real Steel topped all new releases and holdovers by a healthy margin. It sold 799,000 units and generated $22.36 million in sales giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 54%. Hopefully we will see a lot more films crack 50% as the winter blockbusters start to come out. More...

DVD Sales: Real as Tough as Steel

February 8th, 2012

This was not a deep week for new releases, as only two of them cracked the top 30. (One major new release was only released as a Blu-ray / DVD combo pack, so we will get to those numbers shortly.) We did have a new number one on the DVD sales chart, as Real Steel sold 691,000 units and generated $12.03 million in revenue. This is not a great start, but it performed better on Blu-ray. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Ides of January

January 31st, 2012

January is typically a really bad month for the home market, and it is usually even worse for Blu-ray. Not only are there not many hits coming out, but those that are being released tend to be films that are better suited to DVD than Blu-ray (middling hits, dramas, etc.). This is certainly the case with this week's new releases. Leading the way on the Blu-ray sales chart was Ides of March, a political drama, with 116,000 units / $2.08 million. Its opening Blu-ray share was 39%, which is better than expected for the genre. More...

Contest: Get Real: Winning Announcement

January 25th, 2012

The winners of our Get Real contest were determined and they are... More...

2012 Awards Season: Hugo and The Artist Compete for Oscar Glory

January 24th, 2012

Yesterday was one of the biggest days during Awards Season as The Oscar nominations were announced in the morning. It was a two horse race for top spot as far as the big winners are concerned. Hugo earned the most nominations with eleven, while The Artist was right behind with ten. However, one could argue The Artist is the bigger winner, as more of its nominations were in the more prestigious categories. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 24th, 2012

January 24th, 2012

There are three first run releases of note this week, including an Awards Season player, 50/50; the latest installment in a perennial horror franchise, Paranormal Activity 3; and big budget family film, Real Steel. Of those three, 50/50 is the best and a contender for Pick of the Week. Other contenders include Godzilla: The Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and Wings on Blu-ray. However, I'm going with a late arrival: Moneyball on Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Real Steel

January 22nd, 2012

Shawn Levy has made an impressive movie career directing films that audiences love, while not winning over a lot of fans in the critic community. Of the eight films he has directed, only one of them, Date Night, earned overall positive reviews. Real Steel almost made it to that level, but if my review counted, would I help it over the top? Or would I move its score in the other direction? More...

Contest: Get Real

January 13th, 2012

There are a trio of wide releases debuting next week, but evidence suggests Underworld: Awakening is the clear favorite of the three and it is the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Underworld: Awakening. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Real Steel on Blu-ray Combo Pack. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Contest: The Devil's in the Details: Winning Announcement

January 10th, 2012

The winners of our The Devil's in the Details contest were determined and they are... More...

International Box Office: Immortals Starts as Gods of the Box Office

November 16th, 2011

Immortals opened in first place internationally with an estimated $38 million in three dozen theaters. (Because the film's international run is being handled by multiple studios, getting exact numbers was delayed.) Its biggest market was Russia, where it earned first place with $8.68 million on 1,236 screens, while it earned $5.5 million in China. The film also debuted in first place in South Korea with $3.99 million on 633 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.95 million. It took top spot in the U.K. with $3.45 million on 428 screens and in Germany with $2.63 million on 440. On the other hand, it bombed in Japan earning just $1.26 million on 462 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $1.69 million. More...

International Box Office: Feeling Adventurous

November 9th, 2011

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn remained on top of the international chart during its second weekend of release, while it crossed the $100 million milestone over the weekend. It expanded into more than two dozen new markets, but most were of the smaller variety. Overall, it made $38.98 million on 7,103 screens in 45 markets, for a total of $123.55 million so far. Russia was the only real exception, where it opened in second place with $4.81 million on 788 screens. It plummeted 74% in France, but still added $6.99 million on 850 screens for a two-week total of $33.44 million. On the other hand, it remained in first place in Spain with $5.19 million on 819 screens over the weekend, for a total of $16.62 million after two. At this point, $200 million internationally is a given, which is likely close to the film's total budget. If it can close close to that figure here, it will break even before the lucrative home market. More...

International Box Office: Christmas Comes Early

November 3rd, 2011

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn doesn't open here till a few days before Christmas, but it led the way on the international chart with an astonishing $56.56 million on 5,699 screens in 19 markets. Its biggest opening was in France, where it managed $26.97 million on 850 screens. That's like a $150 million opening here. It's a record for a non-sequel in that market. It wasn't as impressive in the U.K., but it did score $10.83 million on 512 screens, which is equivalent to a $50 million to $60 million opening here. These results will force me to re-evaluate its box office potential with an above $200 million run a lot more likely now. Granted, the source material is better known in Europe, plus it will have a lot more competition when it debuts here, but this is still a great sign going forward. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Moviegoers Get a Kick Out of Puss in Boots?

October 27th, 2011

Puss in Boots was pushed up a week and will likely dominate the pre-Halloween weekend with last weekend's winner, Paranormal Activity 3, coming in a distant second. There are a couple of other new wide releases, In Time and The Rum Diary, but neither are generating a lot of buzz. There is some good news, as this weekend last year was a real disappointment and there's a chance both Puss in Boots and Paranormal Activity 3 will earn more than last year's number one film, Saw VII. Hopefully October can end on a high note, because it's been a bad month so far. More...

International Box Office: Paranormal Inactivity

October 26th, 2011

The international box office was pretty slow this week and the only new release to have any impact was Paranormal Activity 3. This film did top the chart with $26.11 million on 3,876 screens in 42 markets. Leading the way was the U.K. with $5.43 million on 391 screens, which was easily enough for first place in that market. It also topped the charts in Russia with $3.20 million on 637 screens, in Australia with $3.04 million on 192, in Mexico with $1.96 million on 732, and in Spain with $1.04 million on 232. On the other hand, it had to settle for third place in France with $2.50 million on 215 screens and in Brazil with $1.21 million on 200. Compared to previous installments, these results were mixed. The film was stronger in Australia, but weaker in the U.K. and France, for instance. It's too soon to tell where it will finish, but assuming it is the biggest hit domestically of the three films, it should at least come close to $200 million worldwide. More...

Weekend Wrap-up: Paranormal Wasn't Just Your Regular Hit

October 24th, 2011

The industry as a whole has to be breathing a small sigh of relief after the weekend numbers started to come in. Paranormal Activity 3 broke records over the weekend helping the overall box office along the way. It grew 38% compared to last weekend, hitting $121 million. Unfortunately, that was still 6% lower than the same weekend Last year. Year-to-date, 2011 is 4% behind 2010's pace at $8.38 billion to $8.73 million and there's little hope that deficit will go away by the end of the year. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Box Office See Some Action?

October 20th, 2011

The box office was terrible last weekend, so much so that it is hard to imagine things won't turnaround this weekend. There is one film, Paranormal Activity 3, that's almost guaranteed to be a hit, but expectations for the other wide releases range from expensive bomb, The Three Musketeers 3D; international hit that will flop here, Johnny English Reborn and niche market film just hoping to reach the top ten, The Mighty Macs. Last year Paranormal Activity 2 opened with just over $40 million. Paranormal Activity 3 might be able to do the same, but the rest of the new releases and the holdovers are not looking good, so there could be a sizable decline in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Real Steel is the Real Deal

October 19th, 2011

Real Steel was able to stay on top of the international chart, just as it did domestically. Over the weekend, it earned $25.03 million on 4,116 screens in 29 markets for a total of $60.94 million internationally. Worldwide it has taken $112.67 million, which is just over what it cost to make. The film opened in several markets, including the U.K., but it had to settle for fourth place with $2.11 million on 385 screens there. On the other hand, it added $4.63 million on 881 screens in Russia and now has earnt $14.39 million in that market. It also remained in first place in Mexico with $2.77 million on 1,049 screens for a total of $7.31 million after two weeks. It also earned first place in Australia with $2.34 million on 349 screens over the weekend, for a total of $7.88 million after two. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Real Steel Dances Its Way to a Tight First Place Finish

October 17th, 2011

This past weekend was one the industry would love to forget. It was one of the worst weekend of the entire year. The total box office haul was just $88 million, which was 7.5% lower than last weekend and an absolute stunning 33% lower than the same weekend last year. A year-over-year discrepancy like that usually only occurs when there's a misalignment in the calendar. (Summer starting a week later than it did the year before. A major holiday falling a week later than it did the year before. Halloween or Christmas Day landing on the weekend.) It was so bad, that the top five films this year barely made more than Jackass 3D opened with last year. Footloose was the only new release that made any real impact, but it wasn't enough to overtake Real Steel on top of the chart. Meanwhile, 2011 lost more ground to 2010 and it is now down by 4% at $8.23 billion to $8.56 billion. If we are to see a recovery, it will have to happen really fast. More...

Weekend Estimates: Footloose Reboot Tripped by Steel

October 16th, 2011

A decent opening for the Footloose remake wasn't quite enough to take top spot at the box office this weekend thanks to a good second weekend for Real Steel. The inspirational robot boxing movie dropped 40% from its debut to $16.3 million, which will most likely be enough to keep Footloose in second place. It is projected to make $16.1 million this weekend. Well behind them is The Thing, which is expected to make just $8.7 million. Thanks to the general weakness of the market, that's going to be enough for third, but it's not going to make much of a dent in the marketing costs for the movie, let alone its production costs. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Box Office Footlose or Footwin?

October 13th, 2011

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the Footloose / Footlose pun in the title. It is unacceptable, even by my standards. Secondly, we are going to lose. This weekend last year Jackass 3D broke the record for biggest October weekend and there's no chance that feat will be replicated this weekend. In fact, there's almost no chance this weekend will match Red's opening last year. Footloose, The Thing, and The Big Year won't earn $50 million over the weekend combined. We really need the win, but all evidence points to a tough loss in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Johnny and Steel Go the Distance

October 13th, 2011

Real Steel made its debut on the international chart in first place with $22.85 million on 3,089 screens in 21 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $28.51 million. Its biggest opening was in Russia where it dominated the chart with $7.45 million on 881 screens. It also earned first place in Australia with $4.21 million on 356 screens and in Mexico with $3.15 million on 1,097. More...

Contest: Reel Steal: Winning Announcement

October 12th, 2011

The winners of our Reel Steal contest were determined and they are... More...

Real Steel a Knockout on IMAX

October 12th, 2011

Real Steel broke records on IMAX during its debut, earning $4.4 million on 332 screens worldwide. This includes $3.2 million on 270 domestic screens, which was a record for the month of October. It also managed $1.2 million on 62 international screens, with openings in several significant markets in the coming weeks. More...

Per Theater Chart Goes Through Hell

October 12th, 2011

There were no films that reached the $10,000 mark on this week's per theater chart. The film that came closest was Real Steel with an average of $7,942, which is good for a wide release, but disappointing for the top film on the per theater chart. The best limited release was Munger Road with an average of $5,675 during its second week of release. This is excellent for the genre and bodes well for its home market run. As for the best new limited release, that was Hell and Back Again with just $3,413 in its lone theater. It's hard to put a good spin on that result. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Steel is Golden

October 10th, 2011

October started out with mixed results and it seems for every bit of good news there was equal and opposite bad news. Real Steel topped expectations, but Ides of March did not. The overall box office slipped by 4% from last weekend to $95 million, but it was higher than the same weekend last year. Growth was under 2%, meaning ticket sales were weaker. Year-to-date, 2011 is still behind 2010, but the gap was narrowed to 3% at $8.11 billion to $8.39 billion. There's still a chance we can catch up, but we are running out of time and can't afford any missteps. More...

Weekend Estimates: Real Steel Wins Opening Bout

October 9th, 2011

This weekend is turning out almost precisely as predicted in our Friday preview, with Real Steel cruising to a comfortable with with an estimated $27.3 million and Ides of March under-performing a bit with $10.4 million. Both movies seem to have found their intended audiences fairly successfully, but March was clearly hindered by mediocre reviews. More...

Weekend Predictions: Box Office Needs to get Real

October 6th, 2011

September was a good month and 2011 was able to close the gap with 2010 by $60 million; however, it is still close to $300 million behind last year's pace. This weekend we could see that gap close a little further. There's only one wide release, Real Steel, but it should be bigger than any of last year's three wide releases. In fact, there's a tiny, but statistically significant, chance it could earn more during its opening weekend than the combined opening weekends of Life as We Know It, Secretariat, and My Soul to Take. Ides of March won't be as strong, but it should play counter-programming well enough to grab a solid second place. If the holdovers can hold their own, then the month should start off on a winning note. More...

2011 Preview: October

October 1st, 2011

There is a little bit of good news going into October, as September did help close the year-to-date deficit, even if it was by a small amount. Unfortunately, we really needed a better result to be optimistic about our chances of closing that gap entirely by the end of the year. Even worse, this month represents the last chance 2011 has to catch up to 2010. I know there are two additional months left in the year, but October of 2010 was a soft month with four of the five weekends showing year-over-year declines. If October 2011 is even weaker, the odds of making up the $300 million deficit will be all but gone. It becomes even more troubling that there are no movies opening in October that are guaranteed to be monster hits. So, while October of 2010 was weak compared to October of 2009, it looks like it will be stronger than October of 2011. Hopefully I'm just being pessimistic. There are a couple films that have a shot at $100 million and I will be surprised if none of them at least come close to that milestone, but the slate of films is weaker than I would like. More...

Contest: Reel Steal

September 30th, 2011

October starts next weekend with the release of two films, including Real Steel, which should have no trouble winning the box office, as its main competition is a political drama opening in 1,000 fewer theaters. Because it is the only saturation level release next week, and because it allows me to use a rare double-pun in the title, it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Real Steel. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Living Will on DVD. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of Season of the Witch on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

IMAX Bolsters Tron's Totals

December 21st, 2010

Tron: Legacy may not have been a monster hit overall, but it was another story on IMAX, as it earned $10.45 million in 234 theaters. That's almost a quarter of all its box office revenue from less than 7% of its theaters. Internationally is was also strong, pulling in $2.2 million in 54 IMAX theaters, or about 10% of its total international debut. That is a much lower percentage than it managed stateside, but IMAX penetration is also quite a bit lower internationally. More...


  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Box Office
  4. International
  5. Video Sales
  6. Full Financials
  7. Cast & Crew
  8. Trailer

Synopsis

Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

Metrics

Opening Weekend:$27,319,677 (32.0% of total gross)
Legs:3.13 (domestic box office/biggest weekend)
Domestic Share:32.4% (domestic box office/worldwide)
Production Budget:$110,000,000 (worldwide box office is 2.4 times production budget)
Theater counts:3,440 opening theaters/3,440 max. theaters, 5.9 weeks average run per theater
Infl. Adj. Dom. BO $116,173,387

Latest Ranking on Cumulative Box Office Lists


Watch Now On

iTunes:iTunes
Google Play:Google Play
Netflix:Netflix, Netflix
Hulu:Hulu

Movie Details

Domestic Releases: October 7th, 2011 (Wide) by Walt Disney
October 7th, 2011 (IMAX) by Walt Disney
International Releases: October 21st, 2011 (Wide) (Brazil)
November 25th, 2011 (Wide) (Nigeria)
Video Release: January 24th, 2012 by Walt Disney Home Entertainment
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, intense action and brief language.
(Rating bulletin 2160, 2/23/2011)
Running Time: 126 minutes
Comparisons: vs. En kongelig affære
Create your own comparison chart…
Keywords: Boxing, Robot, Comeback, Underdog, Organized Crime, Gambling, Dysfunctional Family, Romance, Young Child Dealing with the Death of a Parent, IMAX: DMR, Motion Capture Performance
Source:Based on Fiction Book/Short Story
Genre:Action
Production Method:Live Action
Creative Type:Science Fiction
Production/Financing Companies: DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance BIG Entertainment, 21 Laps Entertainment, Montford Murphy
Production Countries: United States
Languages: English

Ranking on other Records and Milestones

RecordRankAmountChart
Date
Days In
Release
Halloween (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 235 $6,815,832 Oct 28, 2011 24
Biggest Domestic October Weekend 55 $27,319,677 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 3-Day) 14 $27,319,677 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 18 $38,929,675 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon) 16 $30,728,105 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (All Movies, 4-Day, Fri-Mon, Inflation Adjusted) 18 $43,786,573 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 3-Day) 9 $27,319,677 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 3-Day, Inflation Adjusted) 13 $38,929,675 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 4-Day, Fri-Mon) 10 $30,728,105 Oct 7, 2011 3
Columbus Day (Opening, 4-Day, Fri-Mon, Inflation Adjusted) 12 $43,786,573 Oct 7, 2011 3

Leading Cast

Hugh Jackman    Charlie Kenton

Supporting Cast

Dakota Goyo    Max Kenton
Evangeline Lilly    Bailing Tallet
Anthony Mackie    Finn
Kevin Durand    Ricky
Hope Davis    Aunt Debra
James Rebhorn    Marvin
Karl Yune    Tak Mashido
Olga Fonda    Farra Lemkova
John Gatins    Kingpin
Sophie Levy    Big Sister
Tess Levy    Little Sister
Charlie Levy    Littlest Sister
Gregory Sims    Bill Panner
Torey Adkins    Large Texas Man
Tom Carlson    San Leandro Gentleman #1
John Hawkinson    San Leandro Gentleman #2
David Alan Basche    ESPN Boxing Commentators
Phil LaMarr    ESPN Boxing Commentator
David Herbst    Starblaze Arena Reporter
Julian Gant    Starblaze Arena Reporters
Ken Alter    Virgin America Spectrum Ring Announcer
Leilani Barrett    Virgin America Spectrum Ref
Eric Gutman    WRB Promoter
Nicholas Yu    Twin Cities Corner Tech
D.B. Dickerson    Twin Cities Controller
Peter Carey    Bing Arena Announcer
Dan Lemieux    Bing Arean Ref
Rich Goteri    Older Gentleman
Tim Holmes    Blacktop Controller
Ricky Wayne Robinson, Jr.    Underground Promoter
Taris Tyler    Robot Promoter
Kevin Dorman    Atom Performance Capture
John Manfredi    Sergel Lemkova

For a description of the different acting role types we use to categorize acting perfomances, see our Glossary.

Production and Technical Credits

Shawn Levy    Director
John Gatins    Screenwriter
Dan Gilroy    Story Creator
Jeremy Leven    Story Creator
Richard Matheson    Based in part upon the short story "Steel"
Don Murphy    Producer
Susan Montford    Producer
Shawn Levy    Producer
Jack Rapke    Executive Producer
Robert Zemeckis    Executive Producer
Steve Starkey    Executive Producer
Steven Spielberg    Executive Producer
Josh McLaglen    Executive Producer
Mary McLaglen    Executive Producer
Mauro Fiore    Director of Photography
Tom Meyer    Production Designer
Dean Zimmerman    Editor
Marlene Stewart    Costume Designer
Eric Nash    Visual Effects Supervisor
Danny Elfman    Composer
Eric Hedayat    Co-Producer
Rick Benattar    Co-Producer
David Rubin    Casting
Richard Hicks    Casting Director
Mary McLaglen    Unit Production Manager
Josh McLaglen    1st Assistant Director
Maria Battle Campbell    2nd Assistant Director

Blu-ray Sales: Vamps Defeat Tramp

March 1st, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 and Lady and the Tramp switched places on the Blu-ray sales chart. The former rose to first place during its first full week on the home market selling 455,000 units / $10.46 million giving it an early total of 1.24 million units / $28.58 million. More...

DVD Sales: Twilight Sets

February 28th, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 remained on top of the DVD sales chart, although it fell to 1.45 million units / $26.03 million for the week giving it a total of 3.80 million units / $68.77 million after two. By comparison, Eclipse actually grew during its first full week of release and had sold 5.38 million units at this point in its run. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Lady and the Vamp

February 22nd, 2012

New releases took the top three spots on this week's Blu-ray sales chart, although the number one Blu-ray wasn't a new film. Lady and the Tramp came out in theaters more than 50 years ago, but it made its Blu-ray debut selling 949,000 units and generating $23.72 million. More...

Blu-ray Sales: In the Driver's Seat

February 14th, 2012

New releases dominated the Blu-ray sales chart with as many as four in the top five. (Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a bit of an odd case, but more on that in a second.) Drive led the way with 420,000 units / $8.39 million giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 57%. This is a great opening compared to the film's theatrical run. More...

DVD Sales: Searching for Treasure on the Home Market

February 14th, 2012

While there were a lot of new releases on this week's DVD sales chart, it was clearly a case of quantity over quality as even the best selling release was merely mediocre. Treasure Buddies was top dog with sales of 381,000 units / $6.47 million during its opening week. This is roughly in line with the previous installment, but below average for the franchise. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Steel Grabs the Loot

February 8th, 2012

There was no competition on the Blu-ray sales chart, as Real Steel topped all new releases and holdovers by a healthy margin. It sold 799,000 units and generated $22.36 million in sales giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 54%. Hopefully we will see a lot more films crack 50% as the winter blockbusters start to come out. More...

DVD Sales: Real as Tough as Steel

February 8th, 2012

This was not a deep week for new releases, as only two of them cracked the top 30. (One major new release was only released as a Blu-ray / DVD combo pack, so we will get to those numbers shortly.) We did have a new number one on the DVD sales chart, as Real Steel sold 691,000 units and generated $12.03 million in revenue. This is not a great start, but it performed better on Blu-ray. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Ides of January

January 31st, 2012

January is typically a really bad month for the home market, and it is usually even worse for Blu-ray. Not only are there not many hits coming out, but those that are being released tend to be films that are better suited to DVD than Blu-ray (middling hits, dramas, etc.). This is certainly the case with this week's new releases. Leading the way on the Blu-ray sales chart was Ides of March, a political drama, with 116,000 units / $2.08 million. Its opening Blu-ray share was 39%, which is better than expected for the genre. More...

Contest: Get Real: Winning Announcement

January 25th, 2012

The winners of our Get Real contest were determined and they are... More...

2012 Awards Season: Hugo and The Artist Compete for Oscar Glory

January 24th, 2012

Yesterday was one of the biggest days during Awards Season as The Oscar nominations were announced in the morning. It was a two horse race for top spot as far as the big winners are concerned. Hugo earned the most nominations with eleven, while The Artist was right behind with ten. However, one could argue The Artist is the bigger winner, as more of its nominations were in the more prestigious categories. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 24th, 2012

January 24th, 2012

There are three first run releases of note this week, including an Awards Season player, 50/50; the latest installment in a perennial horror franchise, Paranormal Activity 3; and big budget family film, Real Steel. Of those three, 50/50 is the best and a contender for Pick of the Week. Other contenders include Godzilla: The Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and Wings on Blu-ray. However, I'm going with a late arrival: Moneyball on Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Real Steel

January 22nd, 2012

Shawn Levy has made an impressive movie career directing films that audiences love, while not winning over a lot of fans in the critic community. Of the eight films he has directed, only one of them, Date Night, earned overall positive reviews. Real Steel almost made it to that level, but if my review counted, would I help it over the top? Or would I move its score in the other direction? More...

Contest: Get Real

January 13th, 2012

There are a trio of wide releases debuting next week, but evidence suggests Underworld: Awakening is the clear favorite of the three and it is the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Underworld: Awakening. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Real Steel on Blu-ray Combo Pack. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Contest: The Devil's in the Details: Winning Announcement

January 10th, 2012

The winners of our The Devil's in the Details contest were determined and they are... More...

International Box Office: Immortals Starts as Gods of the Box Office

November 16th, 2011

Immortals opened in first place internationally with an estimated $38 million in three dozen theaters. (Because the film's international run is being handled by multiple studios, getting exact numbers was delayed.) Its biggest market was Russia, where it earned first place with $8.68 million on 1,236 screens, while it earned $5.5 million in China. The film also debuted in first place in South Korea with $3.99 million on 633 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.95 million. It took top spot in the U.K. with $3.45 million on 428 screens and in Germany with $2.63 million on 440. On the other hand, it bombed in Japan earning just $1.26 million on 462 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $1.69 million. More...

International Box Office: Feeling Adventurous

November 9th, 2011

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn remained on top of the international chart during its second weekend of release, while it crossed the $100 million milestone over the weekend. It expanded into more than two dozen new markets, but most were of the smaller variety. Overall, it made $38.98 million on 7,103 screens in 45 markets, for a total of $123.55 million so far. Russia was the only real exception, where it opened in second place with $4.81 million on 788 screens. It plummeted 74% in France, but still added $6.99 million on 850 screens for a two-week total of $33.44 million. On the other hand, it remained in first place in Spain with $5.19 million on 819 screens over the weekend, for a total of $16.62 million after two. At this point, $200 million internationally is a given, which is likely close to the film's total budget. If it can close close to that figure here, it will break even before the lucrative home market. More...

International Box Office: Christmas Comes Early

November 3rd, 2011

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn doesn't open here till a few days before Christmas, but it led the way on the international chart with an astonishing $56.56 million on 5,699 screens in 19 markets. Its biggest opening was in France, where it managed $26.97 million on 850 screens. That's like a $150 million opening here. It's a record for a non-sequel in that market. It wasn't as impressive in the U.K., but it did score $10.83 million on 512 screens, which is equivalent to a $50 million to $60 million opening here. These results will force me to re-evaluate its box office potential with an above $200 million run a lot more likely now. Granted, the source material is better known in Europe, plus it will have a lot more competition when it debuts here, but this is still a great sign going forward. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Moviegoers Get a Kick Out of Puss in Boots?

October 27th, 2011

Puss in Boots was pushed up a week and will likely dominate the pre-Halloween weekend with last weekend's winner, Paranormal Activity 3, coming in a distant second. There are a couple of other new wide releases, In Time and The Rum Diary, but neither are generating a lot of buzz. There is some good news, as this weekend last year was a real disappointment and there's a chance both Puss in Boots and Paranormal Activity 3 will earn more than last year's number one film, Saw VII. Hopefully October can end on a high note, because it's been a bad month so far. More...

International Box Office: Paranormal Inactivity

October 26th, 2011

The international box office was pretty slow this week and the only new release to have any impact was Paranormal Activity 3. This film did top the chart with $26.11 million on 3,876 screens in 42 markets. Leading the way was the U.K. with $5.43 million on 391 screens, which was easily enough for first place in that market. It also topped the charts in Russia with $3.20 million on 637 screens, in Australia with $3.04 million on 192, in Mexico with $1.96 million on 732, and in Spain with $1.04 million on 232. On the other hand, it had to settle for third place in France with $2.50 million on 215 screens and in Brazil with $1.21 million on 200. Compared to previous installments, these results were mixed. The film was stronger in Australia, but weaker in the U.K. and France, for instance. It's too soon to tell where it will finish, but assuming it is the biggest hit domestically of the three films, it should at least come close to $200 million worldwide. More...

Weekend Wrap-up: Paranormal Wasn't Just Your Regular Hit

October 24th, 2011

The industry as a whole has to be breathing a small sigh of relief after the weekend numbers started to come in. Paranormal Activity 3 broke records over the weekend helping the overall box office along the way. It grew 38% compared to last weekend, hitting $121 million. Unfortunately, that was still 6% lower than the same weekend Last year. Year-to-date, 2011 is 4% behind 2010's pace at $8.38 billion to $8.73 million and there's little hope that deficit will go away by the end of the year. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Box Office See Some Action?

October 20th, 2011

The box office was terrible last weekend, so much so that it is hard to imagine things won't turnaround this weekend. There is one film, Paranormal Activity 3, that's almost guaranteed to be a hit, but expectations for the other wide releases range from expensive bomb, The Three Musketeers 3D; international hit that will flop here, Johnny English Reborn and niche market film just hoping to reach the top ten, The Mighty Macs. Last year Paranormal Activity 2 opened with just over $40 million. Paranormal Activity 3 might be able to do the same, but the rest of the new releases and the holdovers are not looking good, so there could be a sizable decline in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Real Steel is the Real Deal

October 19th, 2011

Real Steel was able to stay on top of the international chart, just as it did domestically. Over the weekend, it earned $25.03 million on 4,116 screens in 29 markets for a total of $60.94 million internationally. Worldwide it has taken $112.67 million, which is just over what it cost to make. The film opened in several markets, including the U.K., but it had to settle for fourth place with $2.11 million on 385 screens there. On the other hand, it added $4.63 million on 881 screens in Russia and now has earnt $14.39 million in that market. It also remained in first place in Mexico with $2.77 million on 1,049 screens for a total of $7.31 million after two weeks. It also earned first place in Australia with $2.34 million on 349 screens over the weekend, for a total of $7.88 million after two. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Real Steel Dances Its Way to a Tight First Place Finish

October 17th, 2011

This past weekend was one the industry would love to forget. It was one of the worst weekend of the entire year. The total box office haul was just $88 million, which was 7.5% lower than last weekend and an absolute stunning 33% lower than the same weekend last year. A year-over-year discrepancy like that usually only occurs when there's a misalignment in the calendar. (Summer starting a week later than it did the year before. A major holiday falling a week later than it did the year before. Halloween or Christmas Day landing on the weekend.) It was so bad, that the top five films this year barely made more than Jackass 3D opened with last year. Footloose was the only new release that made any real impact, but it wasn't enough to overtake Real Steel on top of the chart. Meanwhile, 2011 lost more ground to 2010 and it is now down by 4% at $8.23 billion to $8.56 billion. If we are to see a recovery, it will have to happen really fast. More...

Weekend Estimates: Footloose Reboot Tripped by Steel

October 16th, 2011

A decent opening for the Footloose remake wasn't quite enough to take top spot at the box office this weekend thanks to a good second weekend for Real Steel. The inspirational robot boxing movie dropped 40% from its debut to $16.3 million, which will most likely be enough to keep Footloose in second place. It is projected to make $16.1 million this weekend. Well behind them is The Thing, which is expected to make just $8.7 million. Thanks to the general weakness of the market, that's going to be enough for third, but it's not going to make much of a dent in the marketing costs for the movie, let alone its production costs. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Box Office Footlose or Footwin?

October 13th, 2011

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the Footloose / Footlose pun in the title. It is unacceptable, even by my standards. Secondly, we are going to lose. This weekend last year Jackass 3D broke the record for biggest October weekend and there's no chance that feat will be replicated this weekend. In fact, there's almost no chance this weekend will match Red's opening last year. Footloose, The Thing, and The Big Year won't earn $50 million over the weekend combined. We really need the win, but all evidence points to a tough loss in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Johnny and Steel Go the Distance

October 13th, 2011

Real Steel made its debut on the international chart in first place with $22.85 million on 3,089 screens in 21 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $28.51 million. Its biggest opening was in Russia where it dominated the chart with $7.45 million on 881 screens. It also earned first place in Australia with $4.21 million on 356 screens and in Mexico with $3.15 million on 1,097. More...

Contest: Reel Steal: Winning Announcement

October 12th, 2011

The winners of our Reel Steal contest were determined and they are... More...

Real Steel a Knockout on IMAX

October 12th, 2011

Real Steel broke records on IMAX during its debut, earning $4.4 million on 332 screens worldwide. This includes $3.2 million on 270 domestic screens, which was a record for the month of October. It also managed $1.2 million on 62 international screens, with openings in several significant markets in the coming weeks. More...

Per Theater Chart Goes Through Hell

October 12th, 2011

There were no films that reached the $10,000 mark on this week's per theater chart. The film that came closest was Real Steel with an average of $7,942, which is good for a wide release, but disappointing for the top film on the per theater chart. The best limited release was Munger Road with an average of $5,675 during its second week of release. This is excellent for the genre and bodes well for its home market run. As for the best new limited release, that was Hell and Back Again with just $3,413 in its lone theater. It's hard to put a good spin on that result. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Steel is Golden

October 10th, 2011

October started out with mixed results and it seems for every bit of good news there was equal and opposite bad news. Real Steel topped expectations, but Ides of March did not. The overall box office slipped by 4% from last weekend to $95 million, but it was higher than the same weekend last year. Growth was under 2%, meaning ticket sales were weaker. Year-to-date, 2011 is still behind 2010, but the gap was narrowed to 3% at $8.11 billion to $8.39 billion. There's still a chance we can catch up, but we are running out of time and can't afford any missteps. More...

Weekend Estimates: Real Steel Wins Opening Bout

October 9th, 2011

This weekend is turning out almost precisely as predicted in our Friday preview, with Real Steel cruising to a comfortable with with an estimated $27.3 million and Ides of March under-performing a bit with $10.4 million. Both movies seem to have found their intended audiences fairly successfully, but March was clearly hindered by mediocre reviews. More...

Weekend Predictions: Box Office Needs to get Real

October 6th, 2011

September was a good month and 2011 was able to close the gap with 2010 by $60 million; however, it is still close to $300 million behind last year's pace. This weekend we could see that gap close a little further. There's only one wide release, Real Steel, but it should be bigger than any of last year's three wide releases. In fact, there's a tiny, but statistically significant, chance it could earn more during its opening weekend than the combined opening weekends of Life as We Know It, Secretariat, and My Soul to Take. Ides of March won't be as strong, but it should play counter-programming well enough to grab a solid second place. If the holdovers can hold their own, then the month should start off on a winning note. More...

2011 Preview: October

October 1st, 2011

There is a little bit of good news going into October, as September did help close the year-to-date deficit, even if it was by a small amount. Unfortunately, we really needed a better result to be optimistic about our chances of closing that gap entirely by the end of the year. Even worse, this month represents the last chance 2011 has to catch up to 2010. I know there are two additional months left in the year, but October of 2010 was a soft month with four of the five weekends showing year-over-year declines. If October 2011 is even weaker, the odds of making up the $300 million deficit will be all but gone. It becomes even more troubling that there are no movies opening in October that are guaranteed to be monster hits. So, while October of 2010 was weak compared to October of 2009, it looks like it will be stronger than October of 2011. Hopefully I'm just being pessimistic. There are a couple films that have a shot at $100 million and I will be surprised if none of them at least come close to that milestone, but the slate of films is weaker than I would like. More...

Contest: Reel Steal

September 30th, 2011

October starts next weekend with the release of two films, including Real Steel, which should have no trouble winning the box office, as its main competition is a political drama opening in 1,000 fewer theaters. Because it is the only saturation level release next week, and because it allows me to use a rare double-pun in the title, it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Real Steel. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Living Will on DVD. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of Season of the Witch on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

IMAX Bolsters Tron's Totals

December 21st, 2010

Tron: Legacy may not have been a monster hit overall, but it was another story on IMAX, as it earned $10.45 million in 234 theaters. That's almost a quarter of all its box office revenue from less than 7% of its theaters. Internationally is was also strong, pulling in $2.2 million in 54 IMAX theaters, or about 10% of its total international debut. That is a much lower percentage than it managed stateside, but IMAX penetration is also quite a bit lower internationally. More...

Compare this performance with other movies…

Domestic Cumulative Box Office Records

Weekend Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 7, 2011 1 $27,319,677   3,440 $7,942   $27,319,677 1
Oct 14, 2011 1 $16,291,655 -40% 3,440 $4,736   $51,731,456 2
Oct 21, 2011 2 $10,824,512 -34% 3,412 $3,172   $66,732,152 3
Oct 28, 2011 6 $4,783,149 -56% 2,914 $1,641   $73,941,416 4
Nov 4, 2011 7 $3,436,086 -28% 2,438 $1,409   $78,779,328 5
Nov 11, 2011 10 $1,864,688 -46% 1,758 $1,061   $81,612,804 6
Nov 18, 2011 13 $553,871 -70% 702 $789   $82,557,917 7
Nov 25, 2011 17 $330,377 -40% 262 $1,261   $83,181,049 8
Dec 2, 2011 25 $183,228 -45% 253 $724   $83,425,009 9
Dec 9, 2011 28 $131,872 -28% 206 $640   $83,611,200 10
Dec 16, 2011 32 $80,352 -39% 155 $518   $83,737,282 11
Dec 23, 2011 27 $136,939 +70% 227 $603   $83,962,784 12
Dec 30, 2011 26 $240,399 +76% 227 $1,059   $84,493,241 13
Jan 6, 2012 25 $204,587 -15% 213 $961   $84,857,545 14
Jan 13, 2012 32 $141,579 -31% 187 $757   $85,054,193 15
Jan 20, 2012 37 $134,632 -5% 162 $831   $85,255,428 16
Jan 27, 2012 40 $85,846 -36% 123 $698   $83,371,428 17
Feb 10, 2012 58 $19,451   55 $354   $85,463,309 19

Daily Box Office Performance

DateRankGross%YD%LWTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossDays
Oct 7, 2011 1 $8,533,690     3,440 $2,481   $8,533,690 1
Oct 8, 2011 1 $10,815,610 +27%   3,440 $3,144   $19,349,300 2
Oct 9, 2011 1 $7,970,377 -26%   3,440 $2,317   $27,319,677 3
Oct 10, 2011 1 $3,408,428 -57%   3,440 $991   $30,728,105 4
Oct 11, 2011 1 $1,835,896 -46%   3,440 $534   $32,564,001 5
Oct 12, 2011 1 $1,405,914 -23%   3,440 $409   $33,969,915 6
Oct 13, 2011 1 $1,469,886 +5%   3,440 $427   $35,439,801 7
Oct 14, 2011 2 $4,518,633 +207% -47% 3,440 $1,314   $39,958,434 8
Oct 15, 2011 1 $7,340,245 +62% -32% 3,440 $2,134   $47,298,679 9
Oct 16, 2011 1 $4,432,777 -40% -44% 3,440 $1,289   $51,731,456 10
Oct 17, 2011 1 $1,052,984 -76% -69% 3,440 $306   $52,784,440 11
Oct 18, 2011 2 $1,160,798 +10% -37% 3,440 $337   $53,945,238 12
Oct 19, 2011 2 $940,057 -19% -33% 3,440 $273   $54,885,295 13
Oct 20, 2011 2 $1,022,345 +9% -30% 3,440 $297   $55,907,640 14
Oct 21, 2011 3 $3,105,491 +204% -31% 3,440 $903   $59,013,131 15
Oct 22, 2011 2 $4,885,151 +57% -33% 3,440 $1,420   $63,898,282 16
Oct 23, 2011 2 $2,833,870 -42% -36% 3,440 $824   $66,732,152 17
Oct 24, 2011 3 $604,589 -79% -43% 3,440 $176   $67,336,741 18
Oct 25, 2011 4 $674,376 +12% -42% 3,440 $196   $68,011,117 19
Oct 26, 2011 4 $552,524 -18% -41% 3,440 $161   $68,563,641 20
Oct 27, 2011 3 $594,626 +8% -42% 3,440 $173   $69,158,267 21
Oct 28, 2011 6 $1,332,449 +124% -57% 2,914 $457   $70,490,716 22
Oct 29, 2011 5 $2,136,602 +60% -56% 2,914 $733   $72,627,318 23
Oct 30, 2011 6 $1,314,098 -38% -54% 2,914 $451   $73,941,416 24
Oct 31, 2011 6 $381,186 -71% -37% 2,914 $131   $74,322,602 25
Nov 1, 2011 7 $381,866 n/c -43% 2,914 $131   $74,704,468 26
Nov 2, 2011 7 $312,215 -18% -43% 2,914 $107   $75,016,683 27
Nov 3, 2011 7 $326,559 +5% -45% 2,914 $112   $75,343,242 28
Nov 4, 2011 8 $928,809 +184% -30% 2,438 $381   $76,272,051 29
Nov 5, 2011 7 $1,591,107 +71% -26% 2,438 $653   $77,863,158 30
Nov 6, 2011 7 $916,170 -42% -30% 2,438 $376   $78,779,328 31
Nov 7, 2011 8 $207,062 -77% -46% 2,438 $85   $78,986,390 32
Nov 8, 2011 8 $268,901 +30% -30% 2,438 $110   $79,255,291 33
Nov 9, 2011 8 $188,975 -30% -39% 2,438 $78   $79,444,266 34
Nov 10, 2011 8 $303,850 +61% -7% 2,438 $125   $79,748,116 35
Nov 11, 2011 10 $678,456 +123% -27% 1,758 $386   $80,426,572 36
Nov 12, 2011 10 $763,734 +13% -52% 1,758 $434   $81,190,306 37
Nov 13, 2011 10 $422,498 -45% -54% 1,758 $240   $81,612,804 38
Nov 14, 2011 10 $95,414 -77% -54% 1,758 $54   $81,708,218 39
Nov 15, 2011 10 $107,634 +13% -60% 1,758 $61   $81,815,852 40
Nov 16, 2011 10 $95,348 -11% -50% 1,758 $54   $81,911,200 41
Nov 17, 2011 11 $92,846 -3% -69% 1,758 $53   $82,004,046 42

Weekly Box Office Performance

DateRankGross% ChangeTheatersPer TheaterTotal GrossWeek
Oct 7, 2011 1 $35,439,801   3,440 $10,302   $35,439,801 1
Oct 14, 2011 1 $20,467,839 -42% 3,440 $5,950   $55,907,640 2
Oct 21, 2011 2 $13,250,627 -35% 3,412 $3,884   $69,158,267 3
Oct 28, 2011 6 $6,184,975 -53% 2,914 $2,123   $75,343,242 4
Nov 4, 2011 7 $4,404,874 -29% 2,438 $1,807   $79,748,116 5
Nov 11, 2011 10 $2,255,930 -49% 1,758 $1,283   $82,004,046 6
Nov 18, 2011 16 $846,626 -62% 702 $1,206   $82,850,672 7
Nov 25, 2011 20 $391,109 -54% 262 $1,493   $83,241,781 8
Dec 2, 2011 27 $237,547 -39% 253 $939   $83,479,328 9
Dec 9, 2011 30 $177,602 -25% 206 $862   $83,656,930 10
Dec 16, 2011 32 $168,915 -5% 155 $1,090   $83,825,845 11
Dec 23, 2011 25 $426,997 +153% 227 $1,881   $84,252,842 12
Dec 30, 2011 26 $400,116 -6% 227 $1,763   $84,652,958 13
Jan 6, 2012 25 $259,656 -35% 213 $1,219   $84,912,614 14
Jan 13, 2012 32 $208,182 -20% 187 $1,113   $85,120,796 15

Box Office Summary Per Territory

Territory Release
Date
Opening
Weekend
Opening
Weekend
Screens
Maximum
Screens
Theatrical
Engagements
Total
Box Office
Report
Date
Brazil 10/21/2011 $0 0 1 2 $8,294,732 12/6/2015
Nigeria 11/25/2011 $0 0 9 9 $136,999 12/29/2018
 
Rest of World $169,985,301
 
International Total$178,417,032 12/29/2018

International Cumulative Box Office Records


Worldwide Cumulative Box Office Records


Weekly US DVD Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Jan 29, 20121640,016 640,016$11,149,079$11,149,0791
Feb 5, 20123236,026-63% 876,042$4,718,160$15,867,2392
Feb 12, 20126112,459-52% 988,501$2,235,685$18,102,9243
Feb 19, 20123135,023+20% 1,123,524$1,763,400$19,866,3244
Feb 26, 20121074,766-45% 1,198,290$986,164$20,852,4885
Mar 4, 20121647,389-37% 1,245,679$792,344$21,644,8326
Mar 11, 20122231,624-33% 1,277,303$543,617$22,188,4497
Mar 18, 20122623,940-24% 1,301,243$417,992$22,606,4418
Mar 25, 20122920,162-16% 1,321,405$363,924$22,970,3659

Weekly US Blu-ray Sales

DateRankUnits
this
Week
% ChangeTotal
Units
Spending
this
Week
Total
Spending
Weeks
in
Release
Jan 29, 20121401,885 401,885$11,248,761$11,248,7611
Feb 5, 2012495,363-76% 497,248$2,669,204$13,917,9652
Feb 12, 2012544,939-53% 542,187$1,337,374$15,255,3393
Feb 19, 2012447,236+5% 589,423$1,416,612$16,671,9514
Feb 26, 2012718,779-60% 608,202$563,177$17,235,1285
Mar 4, 20121511,027-41% 619,229$328,375$17,563,5036

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

Netflix Daily Charts

DateRankDays In
Top 10
Vierwership
Score
Sep 25, 202031 8
Sep 26, 202032 16
Sep 27, 202033 24
Sep 28, 202034 32
Sep 29, 202035 40
Sep 30, 202046 47
Oct 1, 202067 52

Full financial estimates for this film, including domestic and international box office, video sales, video rentals, TV and ancillary revenue are available through our research services. For more information, please contact us at research@the-numbers.com.