With $28.4 million, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' tops a weak debut for 'Expendables 3'

8/17/2014

NEW YORK — Moviegoers continued to shell out for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” while Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables 3” was easily out-gunned in its weekend debut.

The rebooted reptiles took in $28.4 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That far surpassed the $16.2 million earned by Stallone’s gang of aged warriors.

The paltry, fourth-place total for “The Expendables 3,” a PG-13 turn for the previously R-rated action franchise, is well below previous hauls. The last two “Expendables” opened with $34.8 million and $28.6 million.

Instead, Marvel’s “The Guardians of the Galaxy” came in second with $24.7 million in its third weekend. The buddy comedy “Let’s Be Cops” landed in third with a $17.7 million opening.

The Lois Lowry adaption “The Giver” debuted with $12.8 million.