Will Ferrell's basketball comedy Semi-Pro led the US box office over the weekend, but still fell short of studio expectations. ( dpa )
The film, which stars Ferrell as owner of a semi-professional basketball team in the 1970s aiming for a slot in the NBA, brought in 15.3 million dollars, but production firm New Line had expected it to earn at least 20 million dollars in its opening weekend.
Ferrell's figure skating comedy, Blades of Glory, earned 33 million dollars in its premier weekend last year. Production costs for Semi-Pro were 57 million dollars.
The Other Boleyn Girl, with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson as 16th century rivals for the affection of British king Henry VIII, grabbed fourth place in its opening weekend with 8.3 million dollars.
Political thriller Vantage Point fell to second place, with 13 million dollars, after leading the charts a week earlier. The film tells the story of a fictional attack on a US president from eight different viewpoints.
Fantasy film The Spiderwick Chronicles landed in third place with 8.8 million dollars.