'Expendables 2' steals 'Bourne Legacy's action - USA TODAY

By Scott Bowles, USA TODAY

Updated

Give it to the geezers.

Frank Masi, AP

'The Expendables 2,' with Chuck Norris, was the action movie of choice over the weekend.

The AARP-eligible stars of TheExpendables 2 coasted to the No. 1 slot at theaters this weekend.

The sequel did $28.8 million, according to studio estimates from box office trackers Hollywood.com.

While the debut doesn't match the original's bow of $34.8 million in 2010, the opening marks a solid start on a crowded weekend that saw four major films opening.

Still, analysts expected the sequel to open larger than the original.

"Despite (the sequel) being generally well-received for the Big Dumb Action Movie genre, it's surprising to see the sequel give back a few million despite getting better reviews," says Tim Briody of Boxofficeprophets.com.

Indeed, two-thirds of critics gave the movie a thumbs-up, while 85% of moviegoers said they liked it, according to survey site Rottentomatoes.com. The film also scored an A-minus with pollsters CinemaScore, a good sign for the movie's long-term prospects.

The Bourne Legacy dropped to second place with $17 million.

The stop-motion cartoon ParaNorman took third with $14 million, a solid start. ParaNorman was the best-reviewed film among this weekend's newcomers, scoring 87% with critics, while 79% of parents and kids gave the family film kudos.

The Will Ferrell political comedy The Campaign was fourth with $13.4 million.

Sparkle, the first film starring American Idol winner Jordin Sparks and co-starring the late Whitney Houston, managed a respectable debut, taking in $12 million and fifth place.

While only 57% of critics recommended the movie, Rottentomatoes.com says that 77% of moviegoers enjoyed it.

The final major newcomer, Jennifer Garner's family film The Odd Life of Timothy Green, met most of its modest expectations with $10.9 million, good for seventh place. Just 38% of critics liked it, though 75% of moviegoers said they liked it.

The reboot TheBourneLegacy has done $69.6 million in 10 days.

Final figures are due Monday.

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