Looks like the fanboys were out in full force this weekend as the poorly reviewed (but thoroughly entertaining) film The Expendables swept the weekend box office. I was pretty shocked by the success of the film. It was poorly reviewed and lot of the hype seemed to be hovering around Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
When the film came out people started talking and apparently the word of mouth was enough to help the film grab the number one spot. It seems as if only the critics were disappointed. Stallone fans and action movie fans in general were pleased with Stallone’s latest effort.
Check out the full report below.
1. The Expendables – $35.0 million; $35.0 mil (debut weekend)
2. Eat Pray Love – $23.7 million; $23.7 mil (debut weekend)
3. The Other Guys – $18.0 million; $70.5 mil
4. Inception – $11.5 million; $248 mil
5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – $10.5 million; $10.5 mil (debut weekend)
6. Despicable Me – $6.77 million; $222 mil
7. Step Up 3D – $6.63 million; $29.5 mil
8. Salt – $6.35 million; $103 mil
9. Dinner For Schmucks – $6.31 million; $58.8 mil
10. Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – $4.07 million; $35.1 mil
So The Expendables took number one this weekend. I guess Stallone proved once again that he’s still got it. You can check out our review here. I saw it Thursday night and I really enjoyed it. Despite the poor script and weakly developed characters, the film was still very entertaining. The cast was really what drew people in and the fanboys were obviously loyal enough to support their favorite action stars.
Eat Pray Love, which is just about the exact opposite of The Expendables, took number two. I guess while all the guys were getting their dose of Stallone, the ladies wanted their dose of Roberts. It took in $23 million and like The Expendables, it surprised me. I didn’t think it would take in anywhere near that much. Apparently the book that the film was based on had a huge following so I’m sure that helped it.
Grabbing third was The Other Guys. It had a strong opening last weekend but with Scott Pilgrim, The Expendables and Eat Pray Love coming out this week I didn’t think it would perform well. Nevertheless, it pulled in $18 million, bringing it to a $70.5 million total which is pretty solid.
Nolan has just about hit the $250 million mark as Inception pulled in another $11.3 million. The film is still going strong and while the $300 million mark may be unrealistic at this point, it could hit $270-$280 million.
Another shocker was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Taking in a meagre $10.5 million, I did not see this coming at all. I was expecting a number one or two finish for the film. I really enjoyed it and the hype surrounding it was huge. There is also a large fan base since it is based on the popular comic book series of the same name. I’m not sure what went wrong here.
Perhaps the film seemed too quirky or too out there for most and it just didn’t catch on with the general public. Maybe the film is destined to become more of a cult classic? Either way, I enjoyed it and I’d recommend you see it. You can check out our review here.
Looking at the bottom half of the list there weren’t too many surprises. Despicable Me continues to be a success and Step Up 3D lost a bit of steam from last week. Salt passed it’s much sought after $100 million mark, a mark Steve Carell and the Schmucks won’t hit. Lastly we have the Cats and Dogs sequel which probably has seen its last week on the top 10.
Next week should be interesting with the Nanny McPhee sequel coming out and Piranha 3D. I think Expendables will remain in the top 3 as well as The Other Guys but I think Nanny McPhee could take the number one spot. We’ll have to see.