The latest installment of “The Expendables” franchise debuted at number one at weekend box offices around the country. “The Expendables 2” from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE: LGF) hauled in $28.8 million in its first weekend, displacing last week’s number one, “The Bourne Legacy,” from Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA). Universal’s Bourne movie brought in $17 million for its second weekend of general release, down 55% from its opening weekend total of $38.1 million.
The weekend openings were on the modest side, with another Universal release, the animated comedy “ParaNorman” raking in $14 million, “The Campaign” from Time Warner Inc.’s (NYSE: TWX) Warner Bros. bringing in $13.4 million, and a Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) remake of “Sparkle” cashing in for $12 million.
Lions Gate’s shares are off about 1.4% in early trading this morning to $14.16 in a 52-week range of $6.38 to $16.19. Comcast shares are down 0.2% at $33.94 in a 52-week range of $19.54 to $35.16.
Paul Ausick