By trading on 1980s nostalgia, Sylvester Stallone was able to reinvigorate his career with last summer's box office hit "The Expendables."
Premiering on DVD last week, home viewers also showed an appetite for the steroidal star, propelling Stallone's ensemble action film to first place on the rental charts and second place on the sales end, according to Rentrak.
In taking the top slot, "The Expendables" displaced Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups," which had ruled the rental market for the previous two weeks.
Yet Sly didn't have enough muscle to hold off Disney's straight-to-video Christmas bauble "The Search for Santa Paws." In fact, it was a good week for yuletide themed films with Jim Carrey's updating of Charles Dickens' "Christmas Carol" coming in as both the third best selling and ninth most rented title.
Catering to a markedly different demographic than "The Expendables," the week's other high-profile debut, Julia Roberts' "Eat Pray Love" hit number three and six on the DVD rental and sales charts respectively.
Stallone's hold on the charts promises to be short-lived. Next week brings the release of the mega-grossing "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Sure to be consigned to also run status — Tom Cruise's action comedy "Knight and Day" and the Nicolas Cage special effect fest "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" will hit shelves too.
