USA Today
The Expendables proved to be anything but this weekend, coasting to the top spot for the second straight week.
The Sylvester Stallone action film took in $16.5 million, according to Hollywood.com. Although the movie dropped 53% from last week's debut, it was plenty to hold off a slew of newcomers, including a surprisingly strong start for the parody Vampires Suck.
But there was no denying Stallone and his band of aging action icons.
"There hasn't been an action film like this since the throwback years" of the 1980s and '90s, says David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate, which released the picture. "It's clear there's a public appetite for good action."
Enough to warrant a sequel?
"Nothing has been decided," Spitz says. "But it's pretty impressive what (Expendables) did this weekend, especially against all that competition."
Indeed, the weekend was one of Hollywood's busiest, with five movies opening. And none were a match for Vampires Suck, the parody of the Twilight films. Despite a no-name cast and a $17 million budget, the comedy made $12.2 million. The film, which opened Wednesday, has raked in $18.6 million so far.
The movie got an unusual boost from males, who usually thumb their noses at vampire flicks but made up 45% of the audience this weekend. "That was a great surprise," says Bert Livingston of 20th Century Fox, which released Vampires. "It puts us in a great position for the rest of summer."
The Julia Roberts romance Eat Pray Love was third with $12 million, followed by the comedy Lottery Ticket, which surprised analysts with $11.1 million.
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's The Other Guys rounded out the top five with $10.1 million.
The horror film Piranha 3D met expectations with $10 million, good for sixth place.
The losers of the weekend were the two genres that usually flourish in summer: family films and romance.
Nanny McPhee Returns was expected to top all newcomers this weekend. Instead, it managed just $8.3 million and seventh place. Still, it was a better haul than the Jennifer Aniston romance The Switch, which opened in eighth place with $8.1 million.
Final figures are due today.
The Sylvester Stallone action film took in $16.5 million, according to Hollywood.com. Although the movie dropped 53% from last week's debut, it was plenty to hold off a slew of newcomers, including a surprisingly strong start for the parody Vampires Suck.
But there was no denying Stallone and his band of aging action icons.
"There hasn't been an action film like this since the throwback years" of the 1980s and '90s, says David Spitz, head of distribution for Lionsgate, which released the picture. "It's clear there's a public appetite for good action."
Enough to warrant a sequel?
"Nothing has been decided," Spitz says. "But it's pretty impressive what (Expendables) did this weekend, especially against all that competition."
Indeed, the weekend was one of Hollywood's busiest, with five movies opening. And none were a match for Vampires Suck, the parody of the Twilight films. Despite a no-name cast and a $17 million budget, the comedy made $12.2 million. The film, which opened Wednesday, has raked in $18.6 million so far.
The movie got an unusual boost from males, who usually thumb their noses at vampire flicks but made up 45% of the audience this weekend. "That was a great surprise," says Bert Livingston of 20th Century Fox, which released Vampires. "It puts us in a great position for the rest of summer."
The Julia Roberts romance Eat Pray Love was third with $12 million, followed by the comedy Lottery Ticket, which surprised analysts with $11.1 million.
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's The Other Guys rounded out the top five with $10.1 million.
The horror film Piranha 3D met expectations with $10 million, good for sixth place.
The losers of the weekend were the two genres that usually flourish in summer: family films and romance.
Nanny McPhee Returns was expected to top all newcomers this weekend. Instead, it managed just $8.3 million and seventh place. Still, it was a better haul than the Jennifer Aniston romance The Switch, which opened in eighth place with $8.1 million.
Final figures are due today.
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