“REAL STEEL” OPENS AT NO.1, GROSSES P48.28-M IN 5 DAYS

MANILA, Oct. 17 – DreamWorks Pictures' robot-boxing action ride “Real Steel” punched up a no. 1 opening in the country, grossing a knockout P48.28-million nationwide opening weekend for the Oct. 12-18 frame.  This was announced today by Victor R. Cabrera, managing director of Walt Disney Studios Philippines, the film's local distributor.

With that spectacular opening, “Real Steel” broke the record for all-time biggest October weekend, beating 2008’s “High School Musical: Senior Year” at P31.6-M and 2009’s “Michael Jackson's This Is It” with P26.2M.

The Hugh Jackman-starrer also posted the 5th biggest live action opening from Disney, right after “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (P71.3M), “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (P65.6M), “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (P62.3M) and “Prince of Persia” (P60.8M).

“Real Steel” predominantly captured the family market as its Saturday (Oct. 14) and Sunday (Oct. 15) grosses surged to P13.9M and P15.2M, respectively.  It’s Wednesday to Friday bow collected a strong P19.2-M from the male and teen demographics.

Bowing in 184 screens nationwide, “Real Steel” reaped its biggest receipts from SM Mall of Asia (P3.39-M), Trinoma (P2.78-M), SM North EDSA (P2.18-M), SM Megamall (P1.87-M), Power Plant (P1.61-M), Glorietta 4 (P1.58-M), SM Cebu (P1.50-M), Newport Cinemas (P1.33-M), Eastwood Mall (P1.17-M) and Alabang Town Center (P1.11-M).

Rounding up the Top 20 cinemas are Robinsons Ermita (P1.10-M), Greenbelt 3 (P1.04-M), Gateway Mall (P1.03-M), Greenhills (P1.00-M), Shang Cineplex (P940,077), Robinsons Galleria (P895,021), Ayala Cebu (P841,220), SM Fairview (P795,470), Festival Mall (P794,553) and Market! Market! (P679,813).

            In “Real Steel,” Jackman stars as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up boxer in the near future who, because his sport has been taken over by 8-foot steel robots, now lives in a world where he doesn’t fit in. With no fights and no prospects, Charlie is forced to hustle as a small-time robot fight promoter. He earns just enough money to survive by piecing together low-end “bots” and traveling from one seamy underground boxing venue to the next for whatever prizefight he can wrangle for his automatons. Just when things can’t become any more desperate and complicated, his estranged, tough-beyond-his-years son Max (Dakota Goyo) suddenly and unwillingly comes back into his life.

            The alienated duo reluctantly team up to rebuild and train a scrap-heap robot and turn it into a boxing contender. As stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred fighting arenas are raised, against all odds Charlie gets one last shot at a comeback.

            Still playing across the Philippines in IMAX, 2D and regular theaters, “Real Steel” is a DreamWorks Picture distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.

Real Steel: Boxing the Heavy Metal Way

Story: In the near future, Former number two boxing contender Charlie Kenton lost his chance for the number one boxing title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall robots took over the boxing ring and replaced humans in the sport of boxing.

Atom, in shadow mode, imitates Charlie Kenton's(Hugh Jackman) boxing techniques

Review:  When I first read about this movie, I thought it was just another underdog movie gone high tech. Comparing it to Transformers meets Rocky and I already outgrew Rocky which I used to watch all five movies except Rocky Balboa when I was a kid. But when I watch it last night at SM North EDSA IMAX, I was proven wrong and found the better underdog story the way it should be.

Rock'em Sock'em Robots

As for Hugh Jackman, you can't separate him from his trademark role as Wolverine but he proved he can shed off his adamantium claws for other roles he play like this one. As for the boxing mechs, you can't help notice that they are similar to Rock'em, Sock'em Robots because that was the whole idea. Real Steel's robots was patterned after the popular toy. For the younger generation who haven't seen this toy, it's a miniature boxing ring with two joysticks on each side controlling the red and blue robot. The first robot who gets the head of the opponent tilted wins. 

Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard trains Hugh Jackman

Of course Hugh Jackman is not a professional boxer in real life so the producers hired a boxing consultant none other than Sugar Ray Leonard to train Jackman for the movie. The boxing moves Hugh Jackman delivers in the movie are not just acting but real boxing techniques trained by a boxing champ. Real Steel opens October 12 in cinemas and is distributed by Dreamworks' Pictures Philippines.