Box Office: 'Expendables' kills 'Eat Pray Love'

Sylvester Stallone is back at the very top of the North American box office, because his latest action flick "The Expendables" brought in $35 million to grab the first spot and easily defeat its competition.

"The Expendables" scored a solid average of $10,713 per theater at 3,270 locations, taking a big step toward earning back the approx. $70 million it cost. It also beat "Eat Pray Love" by $12 million.

The Ryan Murphy directed adaptation of the popular novel debuted in second place, bagging $23.7 million via an average of $7,690 per theater at 3,082 sites. The film stars Julia Roberts Javier Bardem.

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Box Office: 'The Other Guys' wins with $35M

Will Ferrell is the king of the North American box office again. His new comedy "The Other Guys" easily defeated its competition this weekend with a strong $35.6 million in estimated ticket sales.

The Adam McKay-directed funny flick, which also stars Mark Wahlberg and follows two loser cops taking on a big case to prove themselves, scored a solid average of $9,751 per theater at 3,651 locations.

Christopher Nolan's "Inception" ended up beating "Step Up 3D." The sci-fi thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio took the No. 2 spot with another $18.6 million for a superb total gross of $227.7 million.

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Freeze! 'The Other Guys' takes box office lead!

Adam McKay's action comedy "The Other Guys" stormed to the top of the North American box office Friday with an estimated $13.2 million in ticket sales. Great news, because the movie delivers the goods!

Meanwhile, Jon Chu's "Step Up 3D" debuted in second place Friday, bringing in a decent one-day gross of $6.6 million. The 3D dancing sequel scored an average of $2,710 per theater at 2,435 locations.

That's it for the new releases. Christopher Nolan's "Inception" slipped to No. 3, earning $5.5 million for a total gross of $214.6 million. Following at No. 4 with $3.3 million was "Dinner for Schmucks."

At No. 5, "Salt" picked up $3 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $83.8 million. "Despicable Me" raced past the $200 million mark after bagging $2.9 million for an exact total gross of $202.9 million.

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Box Office: 'Inception' swallows 'Schmucks'

It happened! Christopher Nolan's spectacular sci-fi thriller "Inception" defeated all new releases to hang on to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office this weekend, according to estimates.

"Inception" bagged $27.5 million via an average of $7,763 per theater at 3,545 locations. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the film brought its total haul to a superb $193.3 million after a great three-week run.

"Dinner for Schmucks" debuted in second place, earning $23.3 million. The comedy with Paul Rudd and Steve Carell scored an average of $8,004 per theater, but the film is only playing at 2,911 locations.

Meanwhile, new release "Charlie St. Cloud" only made it to No. 6, pulling in $12.1 million. "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" flew to fifth place, generating $12.5 million at 3,705 locations.

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Friday box office: 'Dinner for Schmucks' rules

Jay Roach's comedy remake "Dinner for Schmucks" topped the North American box office Friday with an estimated $8.4 million in ticket sales. That's not a bad result for a flick playing at 2,911 locations.

Still going strong in second place was Christopher Nolan's sci-fi masterpiece "Inception," which picked up another 8.1 million and lifted its cume to $173.9 million. If you haven't seen it yet, please do so.

At No. 3, Angelina Jolie's new thriller "Salt" bagged $5.9 million, reaching a domestic total of $57.4 million. It's not excatly a memorable film, but it's definitely more intriguing than most movies this summer.

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Early numbers show 'Schmucks' is big winner

Steve Carell and Paul Rudd are on track to lead the North American box office this weekend as "Dinner for Schmucks" scored approximatively $10 million Friday, this according to very early estimates.

Deadline reports "Schmucks" may make up to $27 million, but we'll get a better sense of what's possible tomorrow morning. "Inception" came in second Friday with $7.8 million, a rather good result.

At No. 3, it looks like "Salt" picked up $5.6 million for an estimated weekend of $18 million. New entries "Charlie St. Cloud" opened lower in fourth place with $5.3 million Friday. Again, these are estimates.

As for "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," it only bagged around $4.3 million, which could translate into a $12 million weekend.

Movie Review: "Dinner for Schmucks"

Seen on: July 30, 2010

The players: Director: Jay Roach, Writers: David Guion, Michael Handelman, Cast: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch

Facts of interest: Roach also helmed "Meet the Parents."

The plot: An executive invites a weird IRS employee to a dinner designed to make fun of idiot guests.

Our thoughts: I had high hopes for Jay Roach’s comedy remake “Dinner for Schmucks,” but unfortunately, I left the theater disappointed. I know it was a mistake to walk into this with very high expectations, but with this great of a cast and splendid source material, you would think they’d come up with something funnier and more refreshing. Alas, this one only goes down as a so-so remake.

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'Dinner for Schmucks' trailer is not tasty

Someone out there thought it would be a great idea to remake France's comedy hit "Le diner de cons," and if I had the chance to, I would love to punch that someone. The first trailer for the Jay Roach-directed flick has landed online, and to tell you the truth, it looks like a solid dose of big-screen crap. At this stage, that's unfortunate, because the film boasts a cast I generally enjoy watching. The film opens July 23, 2010.

Of course, a lot of trailers are deceiving, and "Dinner for Schmucks" could end up being funny. That said, what I saw in this preview didn't even make me smile, and that's not exactly a good start. In the film, a bunch of friends organize a weekly dinner to which they invite the dumbest people they can find. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis star. I wish I could say this looked tasty, but to me, it doesn't.

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Wednesday film news roundup: Stephanie Szostak boards 'Schmucks;' Two more join 'Thor'

Here's your dose of film news from all over for Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009:

• Stephanie Szostak ("The Devil Wears Prada") has joined Zach Galifianakis, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Lucy Punch in Jay Roach's upcoming "Dinner for Schmucks," a remake of Francis Veber's popular 1998 comedy "Le diner de cons." (More at THR)

• Jaimie Alexander and Colm Feore are the latest to board Kenneth Branagh's upcoming Marvel flick "Thor." Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are already starring. No word yet on what characters they will play. (THR)

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Zach Galifianakis books 'Dinner for Schmucks'

Zach Galifianakis, one of the funny guys in "The Hangover," is in negotiations to join Jay Roach's upcoming "Dinner for Schmucks," a remake of Francis Veber's popular 1998 comedy "Le diner de cons" (The Dinner Game).

Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Lucy Punch are also on board to star in the project, in which a bunch of friends organize a weekly dinner to which they invite the dumbest people they can find. Variety says Galifianakis would play an assistant manager at a mattress store who's dating the ex-wife of Carell's character.

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