BEIJING, April10 --Bad-boy directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez fell victims to a box-office bloodbath Sunday as their ambitious double feature "Grindhouse" bombed during its first weekend of release.

The film -- actually a package of two movies honoring the low-budget horror movies of the 1970s -- opened at No. 4 with three-day ticket sales of just 11.6 million U.S. dollars, distributor Dimension Films said. Box office forecasters had expected it to hit the 20 million dollarslevel.

Will Ferrell led the box office for a second weekend as his ice skating comedy "Blades of Glory" earned 23 million dollars. The animated "Meet the Robinsons" held steady at No. 2 with 17 million dollars, also in its second weekend.

"Grindhouse" was the highest-profile opener this week, and its likely performance was the subject of much speculation given its three-and-a-quarter hour running time and unusual format.

The 53 million dollars project consists of Rodriguez' zombie thriller "Planet Terror" and Tarantino's slasher picture "Death Proof," complemented by ersatz trailers and scratchy prints that give a period feel to the undertaking.

"Although the overall opening weekend box office was disappointing, the film played to big, cheering crowds in New York, Los Angeles, and other large cities and we hope the strong word of mouth will overcome any initial resistance in smaller markets to its three-hour running time," Dimension Films co-chairman Bob Weinstein said in a statement.

"Blades of Glory" has earned 68.4 million dollars after 10 days.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)