Action was the popular choice at the movies this weekend. Sylvester Stallone’s new film, which he also wrote, “The Expendables 2,” came in first place with a grand total of $27.8 million. 65% of the audience was between the ages of 25 and 35, and 63% were male.

Another chase and shoot movie, “The Bourne Legacy,” was second at $17 million.

The children’s sc-fi film about a little boy who can speak with the dead, “ParaNorman,” finished third this weekend with a total of $14 million in ticket sales.

The political comedy “The Campaign” sold $13.4 million, which put it in fourth place.

In fifth place was Whitney Houston’s last film, “Sparkle,” at $12 million. Due to the negative publicity from Houston’s recent death, “Sparkle” has not had a very strong marketing campaign.

For all the details on the weekend’s box office results, click on the link below.

The emphasis on action motion pictures continues next weekend with the release of “Hit & Run” starring Kristen Bell and Beau Bridges. The official end of the summer movie season is Labor Day weekend.

http://www.boxoffice.com/statistics/bo_numbers/studio_estimate/2012-08-19