BOX OFFICE: Audiences accept invitation to PROM NIGHT

ABSOLUTELY HIDEOUS looking remake of the 1980's horror movie Prom Night won the audiences cash this weekend with a huge $22.7 million opening and is the 12th highest April opening ever. The movie has blown out of the water the final gross of the original Jamie Lee Curtis star vehicle and has grossed twice the amount in it's opening weekend than the Jessica Alba horror vehicle The Eye. It's bad news for those wanting R-Rated horror films to return. Prom Night was a squeaky clean PG-13 and there's little doubt that high school females were attracted to this picture. The movie also had no stars and could be bad news for the Alba's, The Gellar's and the like who can't find an audience these days. Studio's may in the future go cheaper. Director Nelson McCormick's next film will be a remake of the 80's horror The Stepfather due out in September 09. So in second place was the heavily promoted Street Kings withthe mega star Keanu Reeves and was actually the first Post-Academy Award project (yes he was in The Great Debaters but he signed up to this one first) for Forest Whitaker. The movie also co-starred hot young actor Chris Evans, the lead of the popular t.v. show House in Hugh Laurie and popular rapper/actor Common. So why did the movie flop? Well re-watching the trailer there ain't a shot in the film that doesn't involve a gun and once again after Training Day and Harsh Times - David Ayer has a wanna Grand Theft Auto movie. Maybe Rockstar should just give him the rights to go wild on that series because he has been desperate to do so for a while now. For Keanu Reeves it's a similar opening to the 2006 romantic movie The Lake House (which would go on to be successful from word of mouth) but it is actually his lowest opening wide release film in seven years. His next film, the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still is possibly his riskest movie in years and it's going to be real interesting to see how that performs this Christmas. Elsewhere 21 continues to find an audience, that movie only dropped 28% for the weekend and is now totalling $65 million on a $35 million budget. Leatherheads is REALLY struggling with $21.9 million from a budget of $58 million and is sinking really fast now. 1 Prom Night (2008) $22.7M $22.7M 2 Street Kings (2008) $12M $12M 3 21 (2008) $11M $62.3M 4 Nim's Island (2008) $9M $25.3M 5 Leatherheads (2008) $6.21M $21.9M 6 Horton Hears a Who! (2008) $6M $140M 7 Smart People (2008) $4.2M $4.2M 8 The Ruins (2008) $3.25M $13.4M 9 Superhero Movie (2008) $3.11M $21.2M 10 Drillbit Taylor (2008) $2.07M $28.5M source - coming soon