The Expendables 2 Takes The Top – Biff Bam Pop’s Weekend Box Office Wrap-Up Report

Underwhelming. That’s the only word to describe the weekend box office results. Four new films, none of which made a significant impact on audiences. Here’s what went down.

The action extravaganza The Expendables 2 debut in first place as predicted, but could only muster up $28 million, less than the original’s $34 million debut. That’s never a good sign for a franchise – studios always want to see the numbers go up for a new instalment. A little food for thought – though the picture added Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris to the action ensemble, name the last time they had a new release in theatres. I’ll wait.

Can’t do? Neither can. Suffice to say, their presence did nothing to increase interest in The Expendables 2. It’s not out of the question the film could cross the $100 million, but it will certainly have a tougher road ahead of it.

Find out how the rest of the weekend turned out after the jump!:
Debuting in third place with $14 million was the stop motion flick ParaNorman, pretty much in line financially with predictions. Good word of mouth could give the film a few weeks in the top ten, but its debut is far from outstanding or memorable.

Debuting in fifth with an underwhelming $12 million is Sparkle. Clearly, this musical starring the late Whitney Houston offered up nothing appealing to audiences. Look for it to head to VOD or DVD sooner than later.

The final debut of the weekend is also the most disappointing. The Odd Life Of Timothy Green only grossed $10 million for a sixth place finish, less than half of what I thought it would gross with its decent ad campaign and trailers. Obviously in the case, I was way off. A definite let down for Disney.

As for The Bourne Legacy, it dropped to number two with a $17 million gross to raise its two-week total to an unimpressive $69 million, while The Campaign wound up in fourth with $13 million.

So, to recap, here were our predictions:

1) The Expendables 2 – $43 million
2) The Odd Life Of Timothy Green – $21 million
3) The Bourne Legacy – $18 million
4) Sparkle – $15 million
5) ParaNorman – $14 million

And here’s how the weekend turned out:

1) The Expendables 2 – $28 million
2) The Bourne Legacy – $17 million
3) ParaNorman – $14 million
4) The Campaign – $13 million
5) Sparkle – $12 million

Next week’s big releases include Hit & Run and Premium Rush. Check back on Friday to see how we think those films will do!