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Shalimar Sahota: I expected this to open around $21 - $26 million, basically to fall in line with previous retro action movies The A-Team and Predators. Whereas those films were offering the 1980s ideas, they were still lacking the actors of that time. As obvious as it sounds, I guess that what drew people out to see this is the star power, and probably to see if Stallone has still got it. To get to $35 is quite an achievement but I fear a huge drop next week. It'll be interesting to see what Stallone follows this up with.

Jim Van Nest: I think the Gran Torino comparison is about the best one out there. Gran Torino was probably our last chance to see Bad-Ass Clint. Expendables may be the last time to see Bad-Ass Stallone. It may also be the last time to see a lot of these guys in a full-on action movie. This movie was sold as "look at all these super action stars we have in one movie...who cares if it's any good?" and it seems to have worked perfectly. This is what Snakes on a Plane wished it could have been.

Max Braden: "Imagine what would happen if they got every action star to be in the same movie together." "Well, then, I imagine I'd have to see that." My take is that by mid-August, the big summer cotton-candy tent-pole movies have been played out and you're left with people wanting some down and dirty action before they have to go back to college or school or work after Labor Day (which is why I think Piranha 3D will do decently). What I think is notable about the trailer is there was no big action set-piece like the parachuting tank in The A-Team or any other Michael Bay-type action movie. The Expendables' draw was basically the action stars lining up at a shooting gallery and having a pissing contest. As B-grade as these actors are, the sum of their parts added up pretty well.

David Mumpower: I think too much credit is being given to Stallone. He's but a small part of this. It's the combination of 82 people that people know appearing in the same action movie that sells it. I felt from the moment it was announced that The Expendables would open huge then fall off the table and nothing that has happened thus far has changed my opinion. What I do find interesting is that casual movie goers seem to be enjoying this more than I had expected while anyone who likes that tricky storytelling thing called "character development" leaves the theater shaking their head. Is it possible that the divisive but more positive than expected word-of-mouth leads to a better domestic result? Okay, probably not, but I am impressed that the "just give me 1980s cheese" crowd is largely satisfied.

Hey! Where is The Rock? (We kid. We kid!)

Kim Hollis: Eat Pray Love, the latest Julia Roberts star vehicle, opened to $23.1 million. Is this more, less, or about what you expected? Should Sony be pleased with the result?

Josh Spiegel: On the one hand, I expected a bit more. It would not have shocked me if Eat Pray Love had surprised people and topped the box office this past weekend. Julia Roberts is still one of the most famous people in the world, the book is a wildly popular hit, it's been featured on Oprah Winfrey's show, it looks like a beautiful travelogue, and it's directed by the co-creator of Glee. On the other hand, I have seen no marketing for this movie aside from what I would politely call a weak poster featuring Roberts on a park bench, eyes looking upward. I appreciate that I don't watch the kind of stuff that the movie would be featured on, but there's been nothing for the movie anywhere I look. That the movie made this much without advance praise, weak reviews once the film was shown for critics, and no marketing is pretty good, all things considered.

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