“The Expendables 2” easily won the weekend box office, but anyone hailing the domestic performance was impressive is drastically missing the boat.
The all-star action film, which upped the star power from its predecessor, claimed first place on only $28.8 million. Down by more than $6 million from the original’s opening take in 2010, the tally is also even farther below the $40 million industry forecast that had emerged ahead of the release.
Even with that disappointing mark, “Expendables” still dominated holdover “The Bourne Legacy,” which fell sharply to $17 million for second place. Down 55% from its opening gross, “Bourne” still topped new release “ParaNorman” ($14 million).
“The Campaign” claimed fourth place with $13.4 million while “Sparkle” also missed expectations, landing in fifth place on just $12 million. “The Dark Knight Rises” was sixth with $11.1 million, while “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” opened to seventh and $10.9 million.