’80’S REVIVAL AT BOX OFFICE

Two movies from the 1980s are being reincarnated this week and will join a comedy about the unlikely subject of bird watching to try to unseat last week’s robot fight film, Real Steel, from the top position at the box office. Analysts are saying that the remake of 1984’s Footloose has the best chance of pulling it off but that it probably won’t earn much more than $15-18 million. That’s also about what Real Steel is supposed to bring in, but analysts suggest that the likelihood of its remaining at No. 1 is probably less than 50/50. Meanwhile, The Thing, a remake of the 1982 John Carpenter horror classic, which, in turn, was a remake of the 1951 classic The Thing from Another World, is generally expected to arrive in third place with about $14-17 million, while The Big Year, despite decent reviews and a powerhouse cast headed by Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson, is not expected to present much of a challenge at all. It’s likely to wind up with just $5-8 million, the box-office pundits say, and will probably be beaten by last week’s George Clooney/Ryan Gosling drama The Ides of March and the insouciant contender, Dolphin Tale.