Footloose box office: Remake of 1984 sleeper hit opens with underwhelming numbers
Oct. 16: Real Steel and Footloose are at a near-dead-heat for first-place at the North American box office this weekend (Oct. 14-16), according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. The gap between the two movies is about $200,000: Real Steel with $16.3 million and Footloose with $16.1 million. Their positions may be reversed when weekend box office actuals are released tomorrow.
Having fallen short of the $20 million some had been expecting, Footloose wasn’t the only box office disappointment this weekend. The Thing earned only $8.7 million at no. 3, when most pundits had been expecting earnings between $10-15 million. Worst of all was The Big Year, which brought in even less money than the predicted $4 million after a dismal Friday bow: despite the presence of Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson, the David Frankel-directed comedy drew an estimated $3.32 million at no. 9 ($1,547 average at 2,150 sites), making it one of the worst wide-release openings in recent memory and, adjusting for inflation, the very worst-opening for a wide release in Steve Martin’s three-decade career.
In other words, Hollywood obviously no longer has any imagination, what with sequels and prequels and remakes everywhere you look. This weekend, for instance, was down a whopping 33 percent compared to the equivalent weekend in 2010. So, what do we need to arouse audiences enough so they’ll be eager to burn $40 on movie tickets, parking, popcorn, and a giant soda? Good and Original movies. Those will bring both fat and bony asses into theaters seats. I repeat: We need Good and Original movies. Like last year’s Jackass 3D, which brought in more than $50 million in revenues on its first weekend out.
Directed by Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan’s Craig Brewer, the Paramount-distributed Footloose stars relative newcomer Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie McDowell. Following a stronger start on Friday, Footloose fell behind Real Steel on the weekend proper, jumping less than 20 percent on Saturday. Its per-theater average was a mediocre $4,536. Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer starred in the 1984 original, a derivative effort directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford.
Directed by Shawn Levy, Real Steel, which was down 40 percent compared to its opening weekend, stars Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, and Hope Davis. The film’s domestic total to date is $51.7 million; worldwide: $108.3 million. That’s not bad after only a couple of weekends, but Real Steel will have to earn at least twice as much to break even at the global box office, as studios keep about 50 percent of a movie’s worldwide grosses. Real Steel reportedly cost $110 million – not including marketing/distribution expenses.
A remake of John Carpenter’s 1982 horror thriller –– itself a remake of Christian Nyby and (an uncredited) Howard Hawks’ 1951 B movie The Thing from Another World – Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s The Thing features Joel Edgerton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Ulrich Thomsen. The Thing cost a reported $38 million, which means Universal has another recent flop in its hands, following Cowboys & Aliens, Larry Crowne, and Dream House.
In addition to Martin, Black, and Wilson, The Big Year features Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, Brian Dennehy, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Rosamund Pike, and Kevin Pollak. The Big Year reportedly cost $41 million – and don’t expect the international market to come to the rescue for this one. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that The Big Year was distributed by 20th Century Fox, which also handled last weekend’s What’s Your Number?, a Chris Evans-Anna Faris-Zachary Quinto romantic comedy that had one of the top five worst openings ever for a movie at more than 3,000 screens.
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If early, rough estimates are correct, the Footloose remake will not reach the $20 million mark as some had been expecting. As per The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.com, Footloose collected approximately $5.7 million on its Friday debut, which would translate into a $17 million weekend. Directed by Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan’s Craig Brewer, the Paramount release stars relative newcomer Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and Andie McDowell. Kevin Bacon starred in the 1984 original (itself a derivative effort similar to countless movies of the previous three decades).
Hugh Jackman’s Real Steel is expected to land in second place with $15–$15.5 million for the weekend, following grosses of $4.5 million on Friday. At no. 3, the horror/thriller The Thing – another remake of an 1980s flick (itself a remake of a 1951 B movie) – will likely reach $10–$11 million after only $3.8 million on Friday. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.’s feature-film debut stars Joel Edgerton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Ulrich Thomsen. John Carpenter directed Kurt Russell in 1982; Christian Nyby and an uncredited Howard Hawks directed Kenneth Tobey in The Thing from Another World in 1951.
Starring Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson, 20th Century Fox’s The Big Year is expected to open in seventh place – behind The Ides of March, Moneyball, and Dolphin Tale. In fact, with a possible $4 million at 2,150 locations, the reportedly $41 million budget comedy may turn out to be not only one of the biggest duds of the year – but also one of the biggest duds of the century to date, and, adjusted for inflation, the worst ever wide-release opening of a Steve Martin movie.
Directed by The Devil Wears Prada’s David Frankel, The Big Year also features Anjelica Huston, Dianne Wiest, Brian Dennehy, Jim Parsons, Rashida Jones, Rosamund Pike, and Kevin Pollak.
“Footloose Box Office” notes
Kenny Wormald Footloose image: K.C. Bailey | Paramount Pictures.
*last modified in June 2025.