Robots a knockout at the box office

Los Angeles: Boxing robots are the undisputed champions at the weekend box office.

Hugh Jackman's Real Steel, set in the near future when robot fighters have replaced humans in the ring, debuted at No 1 with $27.3 million (Dh100.26 million), according to studio estimates on Sunday.

A DreamWorks release distributed by Disney, Real Steel added $22.1 million in 19 overseas markets for a worldwide total of $49.4 million. The movie casts Jackman as a former boxer reluctantly thrown together with his young son as they turn a junkyard robot into a world-class contender.

George Clooney's political saga The Ides of March was the runner-up, opening at No 2 with $10.4 million.

Males accounted for two-thirds of the audience for Real Steel, though Jackman's sex appeal and a romantic subplot involving co-star Evangeline Lilly was a draw for women, said Dave Hollis, Disney's head of distribution.