By Thomas K. Arnold, Special for USA TODAY
It was a good weekend for 20th Century Fox. The studio's Meet the Spartans opened at No. 1 with an estimated gross of $18.7 million, beating back stiff competition from fellow newcomer Rambo and holdover Cloverfield.
Spartans" showing is stunning; most prognosticators had figured the spoof comedy would bring in maybe $12 million and open at No. 3 or No. 4.
Sylvester Stallone appears well on his way toward repeating his Rocky box office comeback with a new take on his other famous on-screen character, released by Lionsgate and the Weinstein Co. Coming two decades after Rambo III, the fourth installment fought back a wave of skepticism for a strong No. 2 finish, bringing in $18.2 million.
It was another Fox film, the comedy 27 Dresses, that finished the weekend at No. 3, with $13.6 million.
Paramount's monster film Cloverfield, after a bigger-than-expected opening last weekend, experienced a bigger-than-expected drop of 72% this weekend to finish at No. 4 with $12.7 million.
Sony Pictures comedy Untraceable opened at No. 5 with an estimated gross of $11.2, breaking out of its expected female-oriented audience to capture a fairly even split.
And the season's little charmer Juno keeps chugging along, picking up another $10.3 million (good for No. 6) after its four Oscar nominations, to push its total box office take past the vaunted $100 million mark.
Another notable milestone: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Fox's attempt to revive a baby boomer franchise, passed $200 million.
It could be said everyone had a good weekend, as the box office overall is projected to be up 32% from the comparable weekend last year.
The rest of the top 10: The Bucket List, $10.2 million; There Will Be Blood, $4.9 million; National Treasure: Book of Secrets, $4.7 million; and Mad Money, $4.6 million.
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