In a battle of the sexes at the weekend box office, the testosterone fueled The Expendables [XPNDB] triumphed over the estrogen driven Eat Pray Love [ETPLV]. The throwback to '80s action film muscled an estimated $35.0 million. Directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone [SSTAL], The Expendables featured an all-star cast of male action stars with real stunts and real explosions. The audience skewed 60% male, which likely means the opening weekend will prove to be front-loaded.
Julia Roberts' [JROBE] Eat Pray Love uncovered $23.7 million to open in second place. As expected, the story about a middle-aged woman's spiritual journey attracted an audience that was predominantly female at 72%. That market segment should promise a long stay at the box office for Eat Pray Love.
Last weekend's champ The Other Guys [OTHRG] dropped to third with $18.0 million. The action comedy tumbled 49% in its second weekend to bring its total to $70.5 million.
Inception continue to stick around like a bad dream. The sci-fi thriller added $11.4 million to up its bank to $248.6 million.
The weekend's third new film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World [SPILG] earned just $10.5 million to rank fifth overall. The comic adaptation failed to crossover to a broad audience beyond males under 25.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | THE EXPENDABLES | $35,030,000 | $35,030,000 |
| 2 | EAT, PRAY, LOVE | $23,700,000 | $23,700,000 |
| 3 | THE OTHER GUYS | $18,000,000 | $70,543,000 |
| 4 | INCEPTION | $11,370,000 | $248,554,000 |
| 5 | SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD | $10,525,230 | $10,525,230 |
| 6 | DESPICABLE ME | $6,766,745 | $221,992,780 |
| 7 | STEP UP 3D | $6,626,600 | $29,565,000 |
| 8 | SALT | $6,350,000 | $103,569,000 |
| 9 | DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS | $6,316,000 | $58,816,000 |
| 10 | CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE | $4,075,000 | $35,104,000 |
| 11 | TOY STORY 3 | $2,165,000 | $400,676,000 |
| 12 | CHARLIE ST. CLOUD | $2,083,000 | $28,727,530 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): XPNDB, ETPLV, SSTAL, JROBE, OTHRG, SPILG