PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The sci-fi boxing thriller, Real Steel, fought its way to a second straight first-place finish at the box office.  But not by much.

The family film starring Hugh Jackman earned over $16-million, based on studio estimates, in its second weekend of release.

But a very close second place was claimed by the remake of the teen dance drama, Footloose.  It also took in just over $16-million in its weekend debut.

In third was another of the weekend’s new attractions, The Thing, the horror-thriller remake.  Its total was $9-million.

The weekend’s other debuting mainstream release — The Big Year, the bird-watching comedy with Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black — opened with a $3-million take, good for a ninth-place finish.

Overall, returns were modest, well below the industry-wide total of a year ago.

Reported by Bill Wine, KYW Newsradio 1060