Despite atrocious reviews (currently a 8 percent “rotten” rating at Rotten Tomatoes [1] based on 80 reviews), “10,000 B.C.” easily topped the weekend box office with $35.7 million in first weekend. Variety [2] reports:

Warner Bros.’ “10,000 BC” speared a decent-sized aud as the prehistoric epic easily took the top spot with $35.7 million in a quiet frame in which no pics exceeded expectations.

Disney’s “College Road Trip” drove to a so-so bow of $14 million, while Will Ferrell laffer “Semi-Pro” continued to miss the hoop, falling a steep 62% in its second frame.

Though hopes for the Rolland Emmerich-helmed “10,000 BC” rose as high as $40 million-plus, the pic’s perf ended up right in line with studio expectations. No one expected “10,000 BC” to come close to the $71 million debut mounted by “300” over the same weekend last year.

Click here for the full Variety report. [3]