MUMBAI: Good old action rules and so does veteran action star, Sylvester Stallone. The actor-director’s “The Expendables” has raked in $35 million in USA and Canada over the weekend to steal a march over “Eat, Pray, Love” (approx $24 million).

What is special about “The Expendables” is that the explosions and stunts have been done with physical effects instead of digitally generated by computer technology. The film is about a bunch of mercenaries assigned to finish off a cruel dictator of a South American island.

Though expected to appeal mainly to male audience, the film had drawn a decent ratio of female audience to make the earnings look more promising to the local distributor Lionsgate. Made at a cost of $82 million, the film has already recovered this in pre-sales.

The all action cast of The Expendables” includes, besides Sly Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren.