Box Office Predictions: 'Real Steel' Tramples 'Ides of March,' 'Courageous' Draws Bigger Crowds

Robots guided by Hugh Jackman take on George Clooney’s latest political offering this week. One will prevail while the other is left with yet another box office disappointment.

This weekend’s predictions and projected revenue results go as follows:

1. Real Steel ($26 million) – The sci-fi action is its big sell, but the film’s focus on its father and son relationship will help fuel word of mouth. The flick will easily venture past openings posted by Contagion and other recent original IPs.

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2. The Ides Of March ($12 million) – The major film critics may support them, but overall audience disenchantment is a long-established fact with these political message films. These productions have become so clichéd anyway, most viewers feel they can predict their entire plots; where’s the excitement in that? Add to this the lackluster box office results the genre has consistently pulled over the past few years, and the film will definitely struggle to find an audience. Look for, at best, only sub-par results here.

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3. Dolphin Tale ($10 million) – This film now holds the cards and is playing with dealer’s money. Lion King 3D has shifted focus to its Blu-ray release, which gives Dolphin free reign to draw sizable family audiences. It could even overtake Ides Of March if audience ratings for that film really sink.

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4. Moneyball ($9.2 million) – A break in the baseball playoff schedule will allow more of the film’s target audience to fuel the film’s Blind Side-like run. Because of this, look for Moneyball to stay close behind Dolphin Tale, picking up bigger numbers over the later weekend days.

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5. Courageous ($6 million) – Historically, these Kendrick brothers’ films have solid legs at the box office, and Courageous will likely post an even better take than Fireproof did in its second week. Considering how the film was only produced for only 2 million dollars, you have to like those numbers.

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All our best wishes go out to this weekend’s releases and you, the viewer.