Based on the1980s cartoon action figures, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra [GIJOE] stormed the box office with an estimated $56.2 million weekend. Directed by Stephen Sommers [SSOMM], the action packed adventure overcame bad buzz to become the fourth highest opener of August ever. Channing Tatum [CTATU] led the Joes against an evil weapons supplier played by Christopher Eccleston [CECCL].
Sony’s Julie & Julia [JULIE] booked $20.1 million to open in second place. Meryl Streep [MSTRE] starred as Julia Child whose cookbook inspired a blogger played by Amy Adams [AMADA].
Last weekend’s headliner Funny People [FUNYP] dropped to the fifth billing in its second weekend. The R-rated comedy tumbled 65% to $7.8 million.
A Perfect Getaway [PGETA] scored nearly $5.8 million to debut seventh overall. The Rogue Pictures thriller was distributed by Universal.
In its first weekend of wide expansion to 817 theaters, (500) Days of Summer [500DS] netted $3.7 million. The romance starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt [JGORD], also in G.I. Joe, and Zooey Deschanel [ZDESC] has totaled $12.3 million after four weeks.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA | $56,200,000 | $56,200,000 |
| 2 | JULIE & JULIA | $20,100,000 | $20,100,000 |
| 3 | G-FORCE | $9,804,000 | $86,116,000 |
| 4 | HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE | $8,880,000 | $273,800,000 |
| 5 | FUNNY PEOPLE | $7,865,920 | $40,417,240 |
| 6 | THE UGLY TRUTH | $7,000,000 | $69,088,000 |
| 7 | A PERFECT GETAWAY | $5,764,530 | $5,764,530 |
| 8 | ALIENS IN THE ATTIC | $4,000,000 | $16,292,893 |
| 9 | ORPHAN | $3,730,000 | $34,822,000 |
| 10 | (500) DAYS OF SUMMER | $3,725,000 | $12,342,563 |
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): GIJOE, SSOMM, CTATU, CECCL, JULIE, MSTRE, AMADA, FUNYP, PGETA, 500DS, JGORD, ZDESC