With all the buzz from the animal rights group drama and the dynamic duo of Gilbert and Bruce Willis, Real Steel was definitely the most talked-about movie heading into May. Gilbert was a little bummed, though. If Michael Ovitz and Martin Bob had pulled their animal rights stunt now, the movie's promo would've been even better. The way it was, there was still an impact, but since it had been over half a year, it wasn't as big.
But hey, every cloud has a silver lining, right? If it hadn't been for winning that debate against the animal rights folks last year, CAA wouldn't have convinced Universal Pictures to change the release date. Real Steel could've been in a total slugfest with Interview with a Vampire. Tom Cruise's box office draw in the '80s and '90s was in a league of its own; even his regular dramas would rake in over a hundred million bucks. Seriously, even a movie like Far and Away, which wasn't exactly a masterpiece, and with Nicole Kidman, who was pretty much box office poison back then, still managed to turn a profit. You gotta hand it to Tom Cruise, his immunity to box office bombs was pretty wild, almost freaky. And with Brad Pitt, who was just starting to blow up, plus the huge fan base from the original book, Real Steel might not have stood a chance.
But with Interview with a Vampire moving its release, everything seemed to be lining up perfectly for Real Steel. It got a pretty wide-open, clear schedule all to itself.
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### Movie Reviews Roll In
After the premiere, media outlets owned by Disney and Warner, along with the critics they invited, started dishing out their reviews for Real Steel.
"The film seamlessly blends extensive CGI and a father-son storyline, creating captivating entertainment that's both heartwarming and filled with deafening metallic crashes!" — Variety
"Real Steel's entire story follows that classic underdog arc: down and out, a chance appears, setbacks, renewed effort, and then a miracle. However, by emphasizing the father-son emotional line, the film becomes much more 'watchable.' It not only amps up the tear-jerking and laugh-out-loud moments but also integrates all elements into a cohesive whole." — The Hollywood Reporter
"After Speed, Gilbert has delivered another heartwarming and passionately thrilling family film. This clearly demonstrates Gilbert's versatility, and I look forward to his future work." — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Is Roger Ebert, like, related to me or something? Why does he always say good things about my movies?" Gilbert was a little confused, seeing Roger Ebert's signature two thumbs up again.
"Is it a bad thing that a famous critic is praising you? He even said my performance was great!" Naomi Watts said with a laugh, massaging Gilbert's shoulders.
"I'm just wondering. That guy doesn't do anything unless there's something in it for him. Did Disney and Warner just do an amazing PR job?"
Maybe the golf game went really well, or maybe the eighteen models were a blast, and that's why Roger Ebert was saying nice things about Gilbert. Gilbert shook his head, trying not to think about it.
Actually, the movie didn't get all praise. For example, The Los Angeles Times commented: "The film is exactly the kind of movie popular in the mainstream market; you can see the shadow of other Hollywood films in this one. Has Gilbert's cinematic talent started to fade after Speed? This would be a huge loss for Hollywood."
Well, great, The Los Angeles Times was basically saying Gilbert was creatively dried up? Gilbert was getting the same treatment as Jay Chou.
Truth be told, from a creative standpoint, aside from the robot boxing, Real Steel was pretty much the standard movie model popular in the mainstream market, a film churned out by industrial production. It lacked the surprise of The Shallows, the thrills of Final Destination, and the tension of Speed.
But how the film would ultimately perform still depended on its run in theaters.
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### Midnight Screenings and Merch Madness
After the premiere, Real Steel officially kicked off its midnight showings on the evening of May 5th. Serge Vico, who worked in Boston, had been following the movie ever since Gilbert's showdown with the animal rights group last year. He'd kept up with the film's progress, watched the trailers, and seen the promotional spots. The sheer industrial beauty of these robots had totally captivated Serge Vico, and he found himself fantasizing about owning one of those mechs from the movie.
At a movie theater owned by the AMG cinema chain in Boston, there were giant robot models set up outside the entrance. The theater staff even thoughtfully put up signs. One robot was Twin Cities, and the other was Atom. The nearby signs even seriously detailed the robots' backgrounds, including their performance, design concepts, and more. For instance, for Atom, it said he was a combat robot designed by XCMG Heavy Industry Group, a fourth-generation mech, with design inspiration from a giant panda. It also listed its power source, accessories, central processing unit performance, and even pre-programmed kung fu moves. While waiting for the movie to start, checking out these cool descriptions and taking photos with the mech models was like a dream come true.
Actually, Serge Vico was there with his friend, Victor Ryder. Seeing the tall, imposing mechs outside the theater, his blood started pumping. Victor Ryder even tried to touch one but was stopped by a theater employee.
"Sorry, sir, this mech is private property. Photos are fine, but no touching."
Victor Ryder pulled his hand back and asked, "Was it bought by someone?"
The theater employee nodded and replied, "Yes, sir, it was bought this morning. It'll be shipped out after this week's exhibition."
"How much for one?" Serge Vico was super tempted; he wanted to get one to put in his house. But the price the theater employee quoted was a bit steep for Serge Vico to handle: "Thirty thousand dollars, sir."
Serge Vico and Victor Ryder exchanged glances, then both shook their heads. A few hundred bucks, sure, but thirty thousand?
Actually, the mech models displayed at the theater entrance weren't originally for sale. The ones genuinely for sale were in the merchandise store. But when some rich dude who loved mechs raised the price to thirty thousand dollars, the theater manager had no reason to refuse. After all, who's gonna turn down that kind of cash?
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### In the Theater
Even though they couldn't touch them, Serge Vico and Victor Ryder still snapped photos with the two tall, impressive mech models, satisfying their eager spirits. While waiting for the movie to start, they grabbed some popcorn and soda and headed into the theater.
It wasn't just this fancy movie theater in Boston's commercial district; movie theaters in major cities across the U.S. also displayed different robots. While Atom was the main mech in the film, the Twin Cities, Atom, Noisy Boy, and other mechs with cooler designs were definitely more popular. Some high rollers did the same thing as that unnamed rich guy in Boston—they saw the tall, imposing mechs and just shelled out the cash to buy them. Even before the midnight showings began, the film's merchandise was already turning a profit.
However, the merchandise wasn't just these mech models. There were also items in the merchandise store, and those were where the bulk of the merch revenue came from.
Inside the auditorium, Serge Vico and Victor Ryder enjoyed a visual and auditory feast. Putting the plot aside, just the robot boxing matches were incredibly cool, making you want to cheer. Serge Vico couldn't help but say to Victor Ryder, "Dude, this is awesome. I want one of these mechs."
"But, Serge, honestly, it's just a robot," Victor Ryder corrected him.
"Whatever it is, it's cool enough! See that iron fist? Could Tyson beat it?"
"Dude, I gotta say, if Tyson fought it in a boxing match, he'd get knocked out with one punch."
That's true; humans are flesh and blood and have pain receptors, so they can't go head-to-head with steel. But robots also lack human advantages, like experience and boxing technique. At the end, watching Charlie, the main character, almost defeat the powerful robot Zeus with his skill and experience, both of them couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
"Why was it only five rounds? One more round and Atom would have beaten Zeus!"
"Maybe that's the imperfection, just like life—it's never perfect."
Victor Ryder looked at Charlie, Max, and Atom, who were getting cheers from the audience, and suddenly chuckled, "But for them, today was a perfect day."
Serge Vico paused, then agreed, "Yeah, for them, today was amazing."
The movie ended, and as AC/DC's passionate music blasted, the midnight audience slowly left. Serge Vico and Victor Ryder followed the crowd out of the movie theater and saw a brightly lit store across the street. It was past two in the morning, and most shops were already closed. A store open across from a movie theater at this hour was definitely a merchandise store.
Serge tugged on Victor's shirt and pointed at the store. "Victor, let's go check that out!"
The excitement from the movie hadn't worn off, so Victor immediately agreed. "Yeah, let's go see!"
The merchandise store was packed, filled with fans who had just finished watching the Real Steel midnight showing and were there for some impulse shopping.
"How much is this?"
"One hundred twenty dollars, sir."
"Wrap it up for me..." A guy in his twenties swiped his credit card without hesitation, buying a scaled-down model of Atom. He couldn't afford the big one, but a smaller one was doable.
The merchandise store was mostly filled with guys. Most female viewers weren't as interested in the robots after watching the movie. A model that cost less than ten bucks to make could sell for tens or even hundreds of dollars in a merchandise store. This was the added value that movies brought, and the increased value of merchandise was actually a reflection of a commercial film's worth.
Serge and Victor also went on a spending spree, each buying models of Noisy Boy, Twin Cities, and Zeus, among other robots. Victor, wanting to look cool even late at night, bought the same sunglasses as Charlie, the main character, and eagerly put them on.
"Serge, look at that!" Victor pointed to a life-size Atom robot model in the center of the store.
"Whoa, Atom, but it looks a size smaller," Serge exclaimed.
Victor was very tempted. He asked the store employee, "How much is this model?"
"Fifteen hundred dollars, sir..."
It was a bit pricey, but Victor gritted his teeth and decided, "Can you deliver it? If so, just swipe my card."
Serge was surprised. "Victor, you're buying it even though it's so expensive?"
"Yep, Iggy's birthday is coming up, and I'm giving him a huge surprise," Victor said.
Iggy was Victor's younger brother, who was always really into robots and mechs, and loved Transformers. The only bummer was that Gilbert wasn't making a Transformers movie, or that would've been even cooler. Speaking of which, toys could probably be turned into movies, right? Wonder what that would be like.