Audiences stay awake for 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'

By Sarah Sluis

Platinum Dunes, which has produced several remakes of well-known horror films, struck oil once again with its remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. The revival of dream-stalker Freddy Krueger film took in an

impressive, higher-than-predicted $32 million over the weekend, which will no doubt keep those remakes flowing.

The other wide release of the weekend, Furry Vengeance, opened in sixth place with $6.5 million, below expectations. Financed by Participant Media, which makes socially conscious films, this family comedy with animal hijinks must have seemed like a good way to match a crowd-pleasing formula with an environmentally friendly message. But maybe Participant should aim a little higher, both in its subject matter and choosing a more marquee-friendly cast (Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell starred).

Wall Street may have downgraded DreamWorks' stock after the debut of How to Train Your Dragon, but the movie is having the last laugh as it finished another weekend at number two with $10.8 million and a 29% drop from last week. With a $192 million gross, this movie should pass $200 million in about a week. If this were a conventional release with a 50% drop every week, the movie would have topped out at about $80-90 million, so this movie is proof that keeping week-to-week decreases sub-30% really adds up.

Please Give, an Upper East Side slice-of-life comedy from director Nicole Holofcener (Friends with Money) opened to a strong $25,000 per-screen average, for a total of $128,000. With such a strong debut, this movie will be ripe for expansion. Michael Caine toting a gun in Harry Brown drew audiences to the tune of $9,000 per screen at 19 locations.

This Friday, tentpole season resumes with the release of Iron Man 2. No other film dares to go against it, but there will be a smattering of specialty options for those seeking alternative fare.