Who’d have thought that a movie about mutant turtles would be more attractive than one featuring iconic action stars such as Sylvester Stallone?

Apparently, the lure of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lives on for another weekend. The box office numbers for Friday place the film at number one once again, raking in close to $8 million dollars, according to Entertainment Weekly. Guardians of the Galaxy came in second and in third, with a fairly poor opening, was The Expendables.

You’d think that a movie like The Expendables would do great at the summer box office, but it didn’t. Even though it got a much better grade from critics than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it just couldn’t pull in the audience. Friday earnings were estimated to be in the $5.88 million range, much lower than prior releases in the franchise.

So what gives? Some think that an online leak could have hurt sale at theaters but really Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is just such a strong competitor — surprisingly.

Maybe it’s the whole nostalgia effect but there is something undeniably appealing about the Turtles movie which has fans flocking to see it. It got a low rating from critics but even that couldn’t keep people away.

The Expendables, on the other hand, received an A- from critics but still didn’t match up to the hype surrounding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Guardians of the Galaxy. It almost seems as though the critics opinion is obsolete when it comes to what a movie goer decides to see.

Have you seen any of these films? Do you think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles deserves to be in the top spot?