In 'Meet the Spartans', Carmen Electra, Sean Maguire and Kevin Sorbo and a cast of dozens parody the film '300'. - Contributed

LOS ANGELES (AP):

The epic spoof Meet the Spartans narrowly conquered Rambo to nab the top spot in the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The 20th Century Fox movie, which lampooned last year's epic blockbuster 300, took in an estimated $18.7 million in its weekend debut. It edged out Rambo, a Lionsgate release starring and directed by Sylvester Stallone, which took in $18.2 million.

"This was a very tight race for the No. 1 spot," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "I think we tend to underestimate films like Meet the Spartans. Fox has really locked onto something that's extremely popular."

Spartans tells the tale of hero Leonidas who leads a group of 13 Spartans to defend against the invading Persians, including Rocky Balboa, Paris Hilton and other pop culture icons. It was directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, who produced the parodies Epic Movie and Date Movie.

Spartans was popular among teenagers and young adults, who made up about 75 per cent of the audience. The film was rated PG-13, while R-rated Rambo was popular with older men.

"We are thrilled with the numbers," said Bert Livingston, senior vice president of distribution at Fox. "We made it for young people and they came."

Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of the Weinstein Co., which co-distributed Rambo, said he expected the film's mature audience to sustain its popularity at the box office.

"I think we'll have a great hold," Weinstein said.

Rambo is the fourth instalment of the trademark franchise and stars Stallone as the eponymous Vietnam vet spending his retirement in Thailand when a group of missionaries enlists his help in aiding a village endangered by civil war in Myanmar.

The top 12 movies raked in $117.8 million, up 32 per cent from the same weekend last year, when Fox's Epic Movie led the box office with $18.6 million.

Last weekend's monster hit, Cloverfield, which set a January opening record with $41 million, was down steeply at No. 4 with $12.7 million, a 68 per cent decline. 27 Dresses, starring Katherine Heigl as the perpetual bridesmaid was third with $13.6 million, and the new thriller Untraceable, featuring Diane Lane as an FBI cybercrime investigator, rounded out the top five.

1. Meet the Spartans, $18.7 million

2. Rambo, $18.2 million

3. 27 Dresses, $13.6 million

4. Cloverfield, $12.7 million

5. Untraceable, $11.2 million

6. Juno, $10.3 million

7. The Bucket List, $10.2 million

8. There Will be Blood, $4.9 million

9. National Treasure: Book of Secrets, $4.7 million

10. Mad Money, $4.6 million