Prom Night slashed its competition, taking over the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with US$22.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Screen Gems' remake of Paul Lynch's 1980 horror flick debuted at 2,700 sites on Friday, scoring with audiences despite being slammed by critics nationwide. Directed by Nelson McCormick, the film stars Brittany Snow as a high-school student chased by a sadistic killer at her senior prom.
David Ayer's crime thriller Street Kings opened in second place with $12 million. Released by 20th Century-Fox and based on a story by James Ellroy, the film stars Keanu Reeves as a veteran cop who goes ballistic after being implicated in the murder of his former partner.
Last week's winner 21 dropped to No. 3, earning $11 million from ticket sales at 2,736 locations. The Robert Luketic-directed crime drama, about a gifted MIT student who spends his weekend in Vegas cashing in at the big casinos, reached a domestic total of $62.2 million after three weeks in release.
At No. 4, Nim's Island collected $9 million, lifting its cumulative gross to $25.2 million after a mediocre two-week run. Directed by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, the film stars Abigail Breslin as a young adventurer living on a secret island with her scientist father (Gerard Butler).
Meanwhile, George Clooney's screwball comedy Leatherheads slipped to fifth place, taking home $6.2 million. Starring Clooney as a football hero struggling to save his team from financial ruin, the Universal release brought its domestic total to $21.9.
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! delivered yet another strong performance, pulling $6 million from 3,209 sites. The Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino-directed computer-animated film, which features the voice of Jim Carrey as an eccentric elephant, reached a total haul of $139.6 million after an impressive five-week run.
New entry Smart People debuted in seventh place with $4.2 million. Released by Miramax Films, the Noam Murro-directed family drama tells the story of a depressed professor (Dennis Quaid) whose life takes a drastic turn after his adopted brother (Thomas Haden Church) shows up at his front door.
Following closely at No. 8 was Paramount's horror flick The Ruins, which collected $3.2 million and lifted its cumulative gross to $13.4 million after two weeks in release. Based on a novel by Scott B. Smith and directed by Carter Smith, the thriller focuses on four Americans trapped at an archeological site during their Mexican vacation.
Two films rounded out the top 10: MGM's spoof Superhero Movie, with a weekend gross of $3.1 million, and Paramount's comedy Drillbit Taylor with $2 million.
Exiting the top 10 this weekend were Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns, which lifted its domestic total to $40.1 million after four weeks in release, and Roland Emmerich's epic 10,000 B.C., which has pulled in a total of $91.7 million.
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
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