RAMBO - MEET THE SPARTANS CRUSHES RAMBO AT US BOX OFFICE

MEET THE SPARTANS CRUSHES RAMBO AT US BOX OFFICE

The reincarnated Rambo has been beaten to the number one spot at the US box office by spoof movie Meet the Spartans after its opening weekend.

The parody, starring Carmen Electra and former EastEnder Sean Maguire, is a pastiche of historical epic 300, produced in the same fashion as the Scary Movie franchise.

With $18.7 million (£9.44 million) in takings from 2,605 theatres, the Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer comedy echoed the performance of its predecessors Date Movie and Epic Movie, proving especially popular to the under-25s.

Though Sylvester Stallone's revival of Rambo missed out on the top spot, its performance easily surpassed that of Stallone's previous resurrected franchise, with Rambo taking $6 million (£3 million) more than Rocky Balboa did in its opening bow at the box office.

Cyber thriller Untraceable opened in fifth with $11.2 million (£5.65 million) from 2,368 locations, while Cloverfield's taking dropped a massive amount, from opening with $41 million (£20.69 million) in the number one spot last weekend to taking $12.7 million (£6.41 million) for a fourth-placed finish.

Alvin and the Chipmunks passed the $200 million (£100.98 million) mark at the US box office this week while Juno's $10.3 million (£5.2 million) weekend took its tally over $100 million (£50.49 million).

The top ten films at the US box office are:

1 Meet the Spartans - $18.7 million (£9.44 million)
2 Rambo - $18.2 million (£9.18 million)
3 27 Dresses - $13.6 million (£6.86 million)
4 Cloverfield - $12.7 million (£6.41 million)
5 Untraceable - $11.2 million (£5.65 million)
6 Juno - $10.3 million (£5.2 million)
7 The Bucket List - $10.3 million (£5.2 million)
8 There Will Be Blood - $4.89 million (£2.47 million)
9 National Treasure: Book of Secrets - $4.66 million (£2.35 million)
10 Mad Money - $4.61 million (£2.32 million)