Don’t underestimate “The Other Guys”

“The Other Guys” got it done, but the other guys not so much. The latest Will Ferrell/Adam McKay combination was good for more than their last film, “Step Brothers” by about $5 million with a total of $35.5 million, easily enough to take a declining box office.

The only other new competitor was “Step Up 3D,” which performed worse than either of the previous two dance flicks, proving that franchise lost luster in the eyes of its fan base or perhaps that the 3-D price tag was too much. Either way, tally another point for the anti-3D argument.

1. The Other Guys – $35.5 M (weekend) … $35.5 M (gross)
2. Inception – $18.5 M … $227.6 M
3. Step Up 3D – $15.8 M … $15.8 M
4. Salt – $10.9 M … $91.7 M
5. Dinner for Schmucks – $10.3 M … $46.6 M
6. Despicable Me – $9.2 M … $209.2 M
7. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – $6.9 M … $26.4 M
8. Charlie St. Cloud – $4.7 M … $23.4 M
9. Toy Story 3 – $3.1 M … $396.3 M
10. The Kids Are All Right – $2.5 M … $14 M

“Dinner for Schmucks” also underperformed in its second week, taking a 55 percent hit from last week, indicative of the amount of theatergoers that “The Other Guys” took away from it. As such, “Salt” leapfrogged the Carell/Rudd comedy and stayed in fourth while animated film “Despicable Me” dropped out of the top five.

The weak box office allowed Academy Award-aspiring indie film “The Kids Are All Right” to enter the top ten as expected. With August’s three biggest films all coming out next Friday, the ride could well be short-lived.

By the end of next weekend, it appears that “Toy Story 3” will cross the $400 million mark, which would move it very close to “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” all-time stateside. Eclipsing that film’s mark would make “Toy Story 3” one of the top ten films in North American history.