Box Office Weekend Box Office Rundown

NEW YORK -- Hollywood's latest films performed tepidly at the box-office on Oscar weekend, with Melissa McCarthy's "Identity Thief" returning to the t...

It's no real surprise that The Expendables 2 opened with about 18 percent less this weekend ($28.75 million) than the first Expendables on this weekend in 2010 ($34 million).

The total weekend number only tells part of the story. Arguably as important as the massive three-day figure is the manner in which it was earned.

Pay no attention to this large opening folks, nothing to see about an under-served audience demographic delivering near-blockbuster numbers on a $13 million budget. Just move along and keep putting Anthony Mackie in fourth-billed supporting roles.

Years from now, marketing schools will teach John Carter as an example of where the Disney team did everything wrong, at least in America.

In a somewhat refreshing turn of events, this weekend had three wide releases, all budgeted below $45 million and all technically geared towards adults. And for the fourth straight weekend this month, an R-rated new release topped the box office.