In the battle of the box office assassins, A-lister George Clooney barely mustered more firepower with his new chart-topper “The American” than the relatively unknown star of ” Machete,” as the summer moviegoing season wrapped feebly during the Labor Day holiday weekend.

“The American,” in which Clooney plays a laconic gunslinger holed up in a picturesque Italian village, earned $16.4 million across the United States and Canada during the four days beginning September 3, distributor Focus Features said on Monday.

“Machete,” a violent fantasy starring character actor Danny Trejo as a Mexican hitman with a penchant for sharp objects, came in at No. 2 with $14.0 million, said 20th Century Fox.

Both studios said they were happy with the openings, which exceeded modest expectations, even if the movies are not destined for box office greatness. Clooney’s movies, for example, usually end up in the $30 million to $40 million range, and Focus doubted the new one would buck that trend.

The top 10 boasted one other newcomer, the optimistically titled Drew Barrymore romantic comedy “Going the Distance,” which stalled at the outset. It came in at No. 5 with a disappointing $8.6 million, said Warner Bros. Pictures.

Both “Machete” and “Going the Distance” opened on Friday, while “The American” got a two-day head start and has earned $19.5 million to date.

Source: Reuters.com

Troublemaker Studios released two new ‘Machete’ stills featuring Jessica Alba. Click on the previews above to view them.

The MACHETE Photo Bomb feature is now live!  Upload a photo and let Machete do what he does best.
Create your own MACHETE poster by uploading a photo and include characters from the film.  You can share your poster on the site, or post it on Facebook!

WWW.MACHETEPHOTOBOMB.COM

Robert Rodriguez, actress Jessica Alba and Danny Trejo attend the ‘Machete’ photocall at the Palazzo del Casino during the 67th Venice International Film Festival on September 1,2010 in Venice, Italy. Click on the photos above to view more photos.

Jessica Alba at the “Machete” Press Conference on August 27, 2010 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Click on the previews above to view more photos.

Jessica Alba, Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez and director Robert Rodriguez arrive at 20th Century Fox’s screening of ‘Machete’ at the Orpheum Theater on August 25, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Click on the preview above to view more photos.

Edit: More High Quality photos have been added along with videos which you can view below.

Robert Rodriguez, Danny Trejo and Jessica Alba were at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami to promote ‘Machete’ on Monday, August 23rd 2010. Click on the preview above to view more photos.

The ‘Machete’ Premiere will take place later today.

I’ve updated the gallery with new ‘Machete’ portraits of Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez that took place during one of the recent press junkets. Click on the preview above to view them.