Sylvester Stallone and his beefy buddies have muscled their way to the top of the weekend box office. Stallone's action hero roundup "The Expendables 2" debuted at No. 1 with $28.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. That's down from the $34.8 million start for "The Expendables" two years ago.

The Lionsgate sequel elbowed out another action tale as Universal's "The Bourne Legacy" fell to No. 2 in its second weekend with $17 million. That was a steep 55 percent drop from its $38.1 million opening weekend, though the movie's domestic total climbed to a solid $69.6 million.

Focus Features' animated comedy "ParaNorman, about a boy leading the fight against zombies that rise from the grave, was No. 3 with $14 million.

Sony's music remake "Sparkle," featuring "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston, was No. 5 with $12 million. The update of the 1976 movie centers on three sisters who form a singing group in the late 1960s.

Disney's family fantasy "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" was No. 7 with $10.9 million. The movie stars Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton as a childless couple who become instant parents to a boy that magically appears in their lives.

The newcomers and holdovers combined to lift Hollywood's overall business. Domestic revenues totaled $139 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year, when "The Help" led with $20 million, according to box-office tracker .

Business had been down the previous three weekends this summer, which has fallen short of the record-setting business many studio executives were predicting at the start of the season.

1. "The Expendables 2," $28.8 million
2. "The Bourne Legacy," $17 million
3. "ParaNorman," $14 million
4. "The Campaign," $13.4 million
5. "Sparkle," $12 million
6. "The Dark Knight Rises," $11.1 million
7. "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," $10.9 million
8. "Hope Springs," $9.1 million
9. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days," $3.9 million
10. "Total Recall," $3.5 million

沪江娱乐快讯:本周北美四部新片集中上映,史泰龙率众多新老明星炮制的《敢死队2》以2875万美元的成绩登顶票房。史泰龙2010年自编自导自演的《敢死队》曾经取得2.74亿美元的全球票房战绩。《敢死队2》在保留前作中史泰龙、杰森·斯坦森、李连杰、施瓦辛格、布鲁斯·威利斯、杜夫·龙格尔等硬汉的基础上,又增加了查克·诺瑞斯、尚格·云顿两位老牌硬汉以及中国女星余男和好莱坞90后新星利亚姆·海姆斯沃斯等人,票房表现值得进一步期待。

上周冠军,鹰眼杰瑞米·雷纳主演的《谍影重重4》本周下滑55.4%至第二名,纳入1702万美元。

本周还有《通灵男孩诺曼》、《闪耀的火花》和《蒂莫西的奇异生活》三部新片集中在北美上映。喜剧惊悚片《通灵男孩诺曼》斩获1400万美元获得第三名,该片在烂番茄网站得到了87%的新鲜度评级,显示出其受欢迎的程度。翻拍自1976年经典电影《火花》,讲述黑人歌手奋斗历程的《闪耀的火花》拿下1200万美元获得第五名。这是美国歌坛天后惠特尼。休斯顿生前参与的最后一部电影作品,惠特尼在片中演唱的两首歌曲将成为不朽的遗作。奇幻片《蒂莫西的奇异生活》以1090万美元的成绩获得第七名。

《政坛混战》本周取得1338万美元第四名的成绩;《蝙蝠侠前传3:黑暗骑士崛起》以1114万美元的收入站在第六位,其北美票房收入达到4.09亿美元,海外更是狂揽4.87亿美元,超过了《黑暗骑士》创造的4.68亿美元的成绩。

《大希望温泉》、《小屁孩日记》和《全面回忆》排在本周北美票房排行榜的第八至第十位,分别收入910万美元、385万美元和350万美元。