Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
EntertainmentFilm

‘Expendables 2’ Tops Box Office, ‘Sparkle’ Has Solid Opening

Posted byBy Nick Chiles | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

The action movie extravaganza known as “The Expendables 2” reigned supreme at the box office this weekend, pushing “The Bourne Legacy” out of first place in the second weekend of the Bourne franchise’s fourth installment—and the first without Matt Damon.

Meanwhile the eagerly awaited “Sparkle,” co-starring Whitney Houston in her final role and “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks in the lead role, came in fifth at the box office, earning $12 million. With a modest budget of $14 million, “Sparkle” is already well on its way to profitability, which is a crucial goal for African-American-helmed films in wary Hollywood.

This version of “The Expendables” didn’t quite reach the numbers of the original, which made $34.8 million in 2010 in its opening weekend. “The Expendables 2” came in at $28.75 million. Sylvester Stallone didn’t direct this one, handing the reins over to Simon West. But the cast is like a who’s who of Hollywood action over the past three decades: Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Bourne franchise, trying to keep up its string of box office wins, had the anxiety of a new title character in Jeremy Renner. But apparently the Bourne fans are more than happy to follow Renner into another series of exciting plot twists and action turns. The movie came in first last weekend with $38.1 million, crossing the $50 million mark on Thursday after just seven days of release. This past weekend it grossed $17 million, for a North American total by Sunday night of over $69 million.

1. The Expendables 2 – $28.75 million (week 1) (LIONSGATE)
2. The Bourne Legacy – $17,019,855/total to date $69,580,935 (week 2) (UNIVERSAL)
3. ParaNorman – $14,008,498/Week 1 (FOCUS FEATURES)
4. The Campaign – $13,385,000/total to date $51,694,000 (week 2) (WARNER BROS.)
5. Sparkle – $12 million (week 1) (SONY)
6. The Dark Knight Rises – $11,140,000/$409,916,000 to date (crossed $400 million mark this weekend) week 5
7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green – $10,909,000/$15,187,000 to date (Opened Wednesday) week 1

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top