'Expendables' and 'Eat Pray Love' score while 'Scott Pilgrim' loses a turn

Image Credit: Karen BallardHollywood’s battle of the sexes seems to be working out well for the studios and their male- and female-focused movies. The testosterone-fueled Expendables bowed to an impressive $13 million Friday, which could translate to $35 million weekend win. And the Julia Roberts-starrer Eat Pray Love opened to a strong $8 million, a number that should jump up to about $25 million by weekend’s end.

The weekend’s other new wide release, the PG-13 Michael Cera-starrer Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, bowed to a disappointing $4.5 million and a likely fifth place in the rankings. Despite the Edgar Wright film’s strong presence at Comic-con and its popularity on Twitter, the hipster action-romance is unlikely to earn more than $11 million for the weekend.

Spots four and five for the frame are likely to go to holdovers. The Other Guys grossed over $5 million on Friday for a weekend take that could reach $17 million and a total cume of close to $70 million. And Inception is likely to wind up in fourth spot for the weekend. The uber-successful Christopher Nolan-directed drama grossed another $3 million on Friday for a weekend total of $11 million and a total cume on the verge of $250 million. Come back tomorrow for full results. (UPDATE: Click to see three-day weekend box office estimates.)