Friday Report: 'Footloose' Takes the Lead
Thanks to a decent opening, the Footloose remake slid past Real Steel to take the top spot on a very quiet Friday in movie theaters. The Thing remake didn't fare nearly as well, and The Big Year failed to garner any interest at all.

Footloose grossed an estimated $5.57 million yesterday, which is a vast improvement on 2009's Fame remake ($3.54 million). However, that's notably off from the more successful entries to the dance movie genre like Stomp the Yard and all three Step Up flicks. Paramount is reporting that women made up 75 percent of the opening day audience, and the movie was most popular in the South, Southwest and Mid-West. It also received an "A" CinemaScore, and should wind up taking first place this weekend with around $16 million.

Real Steel dipped 47 percent to $4.5 million, which brings its eight-day total to just under $40 million. The robot boxing movie could get up to $15 million on the weekend.

The Thing debuted to an estimated $3.2 million. That's down from fellow October horror remakes The Stepfather ($4.4 million) and The Fog $4.1 million), and nowhere close to heavy-hitting remakes like Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street. It should wind up with roughly $8.5 million for the three-day frame.

The Ides of March eased just 34 percent to $2.25 million for an eight-day total of $16.9 million. The daily gross is identical to that of star George Clooney's Michael Clayton at the same point, albeit with a slightly higher drop.

The Big Year opened all the way down in eighth place with a terrible $1.15 million. That's behind Moneyball ($1.72 million), Dolphin Tale ($1.68 million), and 50/50 ($1.36 million), all of which have been out for weeks. The bird-watching comedy appears in line for a $3.5 million weekend, which will be one of the worst starts ever for leads Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black.

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Related Story:

Forecast: 'Footloose,' 'The Thing' Remakes Face Off



Related Chart:

• Grosses for Friday, October 14, 2011