The Expendables movie series is known for showcasing the top actors of their generation together in one movie but despite its legion of superstars, the third installment of the franchise did not do as well in the box office as Paramount's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Lionsgate's Expendables 3, with its cast of superstars that include the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson and Wesley Snipes, flopped with its worst debut of $5.9 million. The movie may earn 15.3 million by Sunday but it may not hit the $20 million goal for the weekend for what would be the lowest opening for the franchise.
One possible reason for the unsatisfactory performance of Expendables 3 was the leak that made the movie available for download online three weeks before its official release on the big screen. The leaked copy of Expendables 3 was downloaded almost 200,000 times when it was posted on the internet by BitTorrent piracy websites and many of those who may have planned to watch the movie in theaters may have opted to download the movie and watch it from their home instead as the pirated copy was from a DVD screener, which means that it is clear and good enough for home viewing.
It is also possible that the charisma of The Expendables' geriatric action stars no longer cast the same spell as they did decades ago or the audience was simply more interested in superhero movies regardless if these vigilantes are mutated talking teenage turtles with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reigning in the box office.
TMNT had a somewhat surprising performance as it retained its top spot for the second week in a row grossing $7.9 million as of Friday and is estimated to earn more than $26 million this weekend.
Taking the second spot after TMNT is a Disney-Marvel offering. "Guardians of the Galaxy" already hauled more than $200 million in domestic box office as it came behind TMNT earning 6.95 million on Friday. Analysts see the two superhero movies potentially fighting for the top spot as the weekend ends.
TMNT holding on to the top spot for the second week in a row now makes it in league with only three other movies that remained number one at the summer box office for two weekends with the other movies being Transformers: Age of Extinction, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
