SYLVESTER Stallone has proven that he’s not quite expendable yet at the box office.

Stallone and his pumped-up pals lifted Lionsgate’s 1980s-style action romp The Expendables to a No. 1 debut with $35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

While the macho Expendables lured male audiences, Julia Roberts delivered a crowd-pleaser for women with Sony’s Eat Pray Love, which opened at No. 2 with $23.7 million.

The previous weekend’s top movie, Sony’s cop comedy The Other Guys, slipped to third place with $18 million, raising its 10-day total to $70.5 million. The Expendables continued a box-office uptick for Stallone, who has had a career resurgence in recent years revisiting his past with fresh sequels to his Rocky and Rambo franchises.

The movie features such action stars as Jet Li and Jason Statham — along with cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger — in a tale of mercenaries aiming to overthrow a dictator.

It’s a throwback to the brawn and body counts of 1980s and ’90s action, a genre whose top three stars were Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger. The cast also includes such actors with 1980s roots as Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Roberts’ brother, Eric Roberts, as well as wrestler Steve Austin, ultimate fighter Randy Couture and former National Football League player Terry Crews.

1. The Expendables, $35 million.

2. Eat Pray Love, $23.7 million.

3. The Other Guys, $18 million.

4. Inception, $11.4 million.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, $10.5 million.

6. Despicable Me, $6.8 million.

7. Step Up 3D, $6.6 million.

8. Salt, $6.4 million.

9. Dinner for Schmucks, $6.3 million.

10. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, $4.1 million.