Congrats to us all for accurately predicting the box office winner for the week, though truth be told it wasn’t exactly the toughest task. Real Steel (with its giant boxing robots and Hugh Jackman-ness) easily cruised to a spot at the top of the weekend box office with $27.3 million, leaving plenty of room between it and the number two flick, The Ides of March ($10.4 million). While the two new releases finished one-two at the box office for what feels like the first time in a good while, the numbers weren’t as kind to those films that have been in theaters for a week or two now, with Dolphin Tale showing the best output with $9.16 million, while Moneyball ($7.5 million) and 50/50 ($5.5 million) rounded out the top five.
So now that we know which film claimed victory at the box office, it’s time for us to debate whether that victory was deserved. If you listen to critics over at Rotten Tomatoes, then no, Real Steel doesn’t deserve its prize seeing as it only received a 59% Rotten score (which really ain’t that bad in the grand scheme of things). However, The Ides of March clocked in at 82% Fresh, defeating its giant, effects-heavy competition. But wait a minute -- if you look at what the users on the site have to say, Real Steel defeated The Ides of March by a score of 73% Fresh to 71% Fresh.
Who did you listen to this weekend, and was their recommendation accurate? Sound off in our polls below (and in the comments) and let your voice be heard.
