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SUNDAY AM: Warner Bros is already planning the 3D sequel. “The franchise is very much alive,” an exec told me this morning. Because this weekend’s opening for New Line/Warner Bros’ A Nightmare On Elm Street was $32.2 million — or 15.8 million Friday and $10.5 million Saturday and Sunday’s estimate from 3,332 theaters. (Friday’s take includes $1.6 million from Thursday midnight shows in about 1,000 locations, a new record for a horror flick previously held by the February 2009 rebooted Friday The 13th‘s $1 million.) ”A Nightmare On Elm Street is a dream that won’t stop,” a rival studio exec emailed me. Puh-leeze, this Michael Bay-produced pic received rotten reviews. In all, this is the 9th in the infamous franchise — if you count number Freddy vs Jason – with Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. (Robert Englund as the slasher used to scare me so badly I could never even watch the trailers of the old films.)
By contrast, Furry Vengence turned in a nightmare performance as expected of a politically correct kiddie pic about the environment. Remember when Brendan Fraser had a film career? Opening in 2,997 theaters, the pic was co-produced and co-financed by Summit and Participant Media/Imagenation Abu Dhabi. But the studio claims the $35 million budget went lower after rebates, incentives, and strong pre-sales by Summit International. Even so, this did only $1.7 million Friday and $2.9 million Saturday for a $6.5M weekend with Sunday’s estimate.
Here’s the Top 10:
1. Nightmare on Elm Street (NL/WB) NEW [3,332 Runs]
Friday $15M, Saturday $10.5M, Weekend $32.2M
2. How To Train Your Dragon (DWA/Par) Week 6 [3,426 Runs]
Friday $2.5M, Saturday $4.7m, Weekend $10.8M, Cume $192.3M
3. Date Night (Fox) Week 4 [3,093 Runs]
Friday $2.4M, Saturday $3.4M, Weekend $7.6M, Cume $73.6M
4. The Back-Up Plan (CBS Films/Sony) Week 2 [3,280 Runs]
Friday $2.4M, Saturday $3.0M, Weekend $7.2M (-41%), Cume $22.9M
5. Furry Vengeance (Summit) NEW [2,997 Runs]
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.9M, Weekend $6.5M
6. The Losers (Dark Castle/WB) Week 2 [2,936 Runs]
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.4M, Weekend $6M, Cume $18.1M
7. Clash Of The Titans (Warner Bros) Week 5 [2,736 Runs]
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.6M, Weekend $5.9M, Cume $154.0M
8. Kick-Ass (Lionsgate) Week 3 [2,452 Runs]
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.8M, Weekend $4.5M, Cume $42.2M
9. Death At A Funeral (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 3 [2,271 Runs]
Friday $1.2M, Saturday $1.7M, Weekend $4.0M, Cume $34.8M
10. Oceans (Disney Nature) Week 2 [1,210 Runs]
Friday $830K, Saturday $1M, Weekend $2.6M (-56%), Cume $13.5M
FRIDAY 2:15 PM: I was just told that the New Line/Warner Bros reimagining of A Nightmare On Elm Street debuted to $1.6 million from Thursday midnight shows in about 1,000 theaters. That’s way more than the previous record for a horror flick: the February 2009 rebooted Friday The 13th‘s $1 million. Today, Nightmare opens in 3,332 locations and my sources tell me right now the Friday domestic grosses look like a whopping $15M to $17M. So that’s a $40+M opening weekend for sure.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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I wascso scared by the original that I was afraid to see this one. But this is pretty much OK much better than Friday and definitely better than the Halloween reboots but it still was not edge of your seat suspense for me but Kyle gallnerwho was so great in haunting of Connecticut and Katie Cassidy of Harper’s island and Melrose are good here as well. Guess they needed Eddie Murphy to do furry for it to be successful hahah
That’s funny. The other day Deadline reported that Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 would be problematic without the star power of Fraser. Now you’re saying “remember he had a film career.” Well, which is it?
I love how people (affiliated with Platinum Dunes) come on this site to RANT AND RAVE about how good this movie is. They throw up a fake name and talk and talk and talk. I saw this at a screening, wanted to like it (I respect Sam and, after all, it was his first picture – this was his shot). It was just awful. I feel bad for him – I’m hoping he has agents that know what they’re doing in response to this. Nothing is ever one person’s fault. I’m sure he had his challenges behind the scenes (I could say more) Good luck, Sam – I hope your agents aren’t a bunch of idiots.
I remember when everybody was mocking me for suggesting that Clash of the Titans would drop less than 60 percent its first weekend. Then it dropped 54. Subsequently, it dropped 40, 40, and probably 35 this weekend. That’s called good word of mouth. If you can see past the utter shite 3D conversion, the film underneath is a lot of fun.
Anyway, none of this will change the fact that NOES will drop 75% next weekend.
I really, really regret seeing “Nightmare.” I’d heard the bad press, but didn’t believe any of it. OMG, it’s bad. “Friday the 13th” was uninspired, but this “Nightmare” was just boring. Jump scare…jump scare…jump scare…pointlessly hamfisted addition of callback to original…jump scare…jump scare…Zzzzzz…
Those “Iron Man 2″ reviews are just as bad, but I can’t imagine it won’t be better than “Nightmare.” And Jackie Earle Haley was fine, but whoever said he looked like one of those “G-Force” guinea pigs in a hat nailed it.
Furry Vengeance bombed? OMG – I can’t believe it. Who in their right mind would green-light, produce or act in this?
As a family movie with a positive environmental message, Furry Vengeance should have been able to open better than this with the family crowd, but the marketing fell flat – specifically the TV campaign. The storytelling in the spots tracked, but there was no bigger messaging, no big idea conveyed – and that made the campaign easily forgettable.
The studios have successfully staged a takeover of the calendar. They make sure not that only one big movie opens per week so they can spew their crap out and give us no choice.
Those of you who post here call for freedom and justice from bad ideas and bad movies and yet none of you are willing to admit that the problem is a racist, sexist and nepotistic business that promotes mediocrity and has outlived its usefulness.
Now studios are looking to raise ticket prices by making everything 3D. That’s because people are voting with their feet and staying away from these shit films.
I know I am.
This is ridiculous. It’s a strong opening but it’s not that big of a deal. The reality is the last Freddy related movie, Freddy vs. Jason 7 years ago, with lower tix prices opened with 36 million too in 80 and there still was no sequel.
Friday the 13th last year had that 40 million opening and dropped 80% shocking the industry and only took in 65 and no sequel planned at the moment because they have no idea what to do and know the numbers will be worse for a sequel.
This “nightmare” will do less than those. It will plummet at least 80% next week and it will land where many of the remakes do. A standard 50 or so million.
Do you think there’s anyone under the age of 25 who had interest in this that didn’t see it this weekend? There’s gonna be no one left next week especially after IM2 comes out.
There probably will be a sequel and maybe this time they can actually create something good instead of shooting a music video using a poorly copied script.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but at this point, MUMMY 4 seems like a smart career move. (Shame, as Fraser’s actually a very likable screen presence who does well when given a half-decent script…)
Robert Englund should send Jackie Earle Haley a fruit basket, because all this new abomination accomplished is punctuating how irreplaceable the man who originally played Freddy was. JEH is five-foot, 100 lbs. soaking wet, and speaks in a guttural mumble. He’s about as intimidating in this role as Kermit was on Sesame Street.
With all the wealth and power Michael Bay has accumulated over his career how pathetic is it that his ambition is to produce lazy cynical horror remakes like Nightmare. I mean the effing guy could make anything he wanted at this budget. Instead, we get this crap year after year.
Yeah, yeah, it’s Hollywood, I know, I don’t mean to get all altruistic, but what a scathing self-commentary on what’s happening (or not) in the mind of Michael Bay.
I’m relieved Furry Vengeance and its pro-Al Gore message went up in smoke. It’s a shame, though, that poison at the box office doesn’t kill this crap once and for all. Instead, lazy libtard teachers will be playing this for years to young children and indoctrinating them with its eco-orientation. Want to make this country better? Ban TVs from the classroom entirely.
Seriously? You’re going to use “Furry Menace” as your springboard for an attack on the environmental movement?
Genius.
You know it’s really heartwarming to see another “remake” of another slasher horror movie. Really, this shows how a lack of an imagination from studio bigwigs, has basically killed movies. What’s next a “remake” of Jaws In 3D??
I hate to break it to you… already been done!!!!
The guilty have been identified but remain free at this hour. Please contact the authorities if you see any of the following individuals who are reportedly on the run in Los Feliz disguised as artists:
Director: Samuel Bayer
Screenwriter: Wesley Strick, Eric Heisserer
Story: Wesley Strick
Producer: Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller
Sam Bayer is actually a talented guy. Nobody is more embarrassed at the way this movie turned out than him. Trust me. Trying to make a good movie with the ‘creative’ team at Platinum Dunes is impossible, which is why it never happens.
Sam can barely comprehend where his smokes are much less how to frame or direct talent. Get that man a nicotine patch, a restraining order against Fuller/Form and some competent studio help and he might’ve had a shot at making a GOOD movie that made money and started his film career instead of a BAD movie that just gets him another job.
I’m not saying he doesn’t have some skill, but they hired him to make it ‘look’ creepy not to make it ‘feel’ creepy. It felt predictable and in horror that’s rule #1.
The brain trust for horror these days is sadly in the hands of people who hate the genre.
Thank the lord for JK.
Sam Bayer is a grade A douchebag!
I worked with this guy when I was at HSI over a decade ago, and he was a petulant child. Just a spoiled brat who was indulged by the powers that be at HSI cause they were so scared of his bullshit.
He was trying to break into the movie biz back then but kept failing and failing. Love to see his first movie out of the gate be an awful z-grade horror remake. Back to shitty music videos Sam, it’s all you’ll ever do.
So keep frosting those tips and wearing those dusters pal, you’re not fooling anyone…
All this negativity is ridiculous–NOES was actually a decent horror film that stands on its own. Is it as good as the original? No, absolutely not. But it was a different take on the same story and I think they did a decent job on making it dark and creepy. Jackie Earle Haley’s portrayal of Freddy isn’t as iconic as Englund, but he was pretty damn creepy.
If this had been an original film and not a remake, I bet people wouldn’t be so venomous. I do wish there were more original horror films these days, but the genre is just cyclical. In the next few years, we’ll have another new wave of horror films that won’t involve as many remakes.
I thought NOES was pretty not its not a masterpiece or anything but it was way more entertaining than Paranormal Activity. I think Katie Cassidy is going to be the big star I loved her on Harpers Island and She was great on Melrose Place, she almost saved that show for me. Hopefully she gets a good tv series that will last more than one season.
Why did Summit pick up Furry – so far outside their genre roadmap, even with Participant/oil money. From Al Gore to FVeng – this non-prifit co. has jumped the proverbial penguin, aka shark.
We need to stop the liberal grandstanding that makes Hollywood so anti-conservative! FVeng does this well by example :0
Yes, folks hate pro-environment movies, Avatar being the best proof of that. As opposed to, you know, the film being Furry Vengeance and starring Brendan Fraser.
Many of us showed to Avatar for the spectacle and held our noses due to the moronic eco-message. We saw it the fewest times of all of James Cameron’s movies and definitely wouldn’t buy or rent it.
Uh, Furry Vengeance flopped because it’s a piece of crap judging from the godawful trailers not because of its so-called pro-environment message. Simply pathetic how some people here are vindicating their political leanings on box-office performance.
I guessed Furry Vengeance would open at $7-8 million, but $7 million was supposed to be the absolute bare minimum, even for Summit Entertainment. It’s preliminary PTA is actually shocking. My latest theory is that the film used “Miley Cyrus” as a swear word. This for a children’s film. I don’t know how that happened since Brooke Shields is actually a friend of Miley’s. Why didn’t Brooke point out how stupid dissing Miley in a kid’s film was?
Q:”Why didn’t Brooke point out how stupid dissing Miley in a kid’s film was?”
A: Because she like Brendan are on a downward spiral. Repeated TV appearances have diluted their appeal to a point that any paycheck will do. After this, look for Brooke to be back on a sitcom (Two and a half men…), and Brendan looking for that Scrubs guest star gig once again. Their next movie will go direct to Net Flix, bypassing all of those pesky “Traditional Distribution” steps.
There was a time that “Stars were above you”,(Grandma K’s saying) now they are just around the corner- nothing special…
The ad campaign for FV was a loser. For weeks, on the 210 fwy at the 605 (in the San Gabriel Valley for God’s sake) one lone billboard with BF staring out at you from under fake graffiti,represents a dead end of marketing. “He that thought it up should pay for it”- with his job… Just poor work, no hook, no message, just an ill conceived use of spray paint graphics- so lost where paint abounds in all the wrong places! No good in the Hood. Even better, KNBC’s review referred to it as “Fury” Vengeance. Nobody cares about this one!
I’m a conservative and I find it annoying when they politicize a movie. Who cares, its an FN movie! Don’t like it, don’t watch it.
i would love to know how a rebooted elm street that was truly a work of art and a great film would do. we’ll never know.
with the star trek reboot. i always wanted to see if they went all out with a big time director and made an awesome movie how it would play out. if it still would just do the basic 70-80 million or would break thru. it broke thru last year. was great to see. elm street could have been a similar thing in the horror realm but instead it’s just another disappointing 50 million grossing remake.
man all of you are on the nightmare rampage — it wasn’t that bad people — but not superb either.
BTW — the back up plan is a must see romantic comedy.
Glad to see Dragon continues, you don’t need a huge opening to reach the same level of success as they were comparing the opening to monsters vs. aliens — which it will now surpass.
Furry Vengeance – another bomb from Summit. It looked like a good, family-friendly idea with a star that parents trust and they only managed to squeeze out under $7m? With ZERO competition. Really, unless you’re a sexy vampire/werewolf flick then Summit is the kiss of death. Film for film they must have the worst track record and the most incompetent marketing team in the business.
Brendan Fraser was only ever a cute face and a tight ass. In recent years he’s gotten Alec Baldwin style bloated and now looks terrible. No wonder his movies bomb now. Lose the lard and he might have a chance at a real career again instead of churning out shitty Disney kiddie flicks.
Forget all the NOEM stuff, look at The Losers. Opened in 4th place, and fell to 7th. YIKES! By the time it’s out of theaters it’ll be lucky to have made half its PRODUCTION budget back. Even with DVD sales, it’ll still be a huge huge loss.
This movie was great and I can’t wait to see the sequel. It was not better than the original but it was far better than most of the other films in the franchise. Also a lot of people like it. It currently has a “Go” on Fandango with over 1,000 reviews. Get past the big reviewers who of course are going to bash a movie like this and you will see a lot of people actually like this movie.
Thanks Dave!
You know, I wasn’t going to see it until you mentioned it has a GO on Fandango! That’s all I needed.
Thanks Platinum Dunes intern, uh, I mean, Dave!
According to friends who have seen it. It’s bland and boring but has it’s moments. Yahoo rating has gone from an A earlier in the weekend to a b- now. imdb which is not the best anymore at rating some films, it was at at over 7 then 6.6 now 6.2. i think some like it but many are disappointed. They had a great opportunity to make a great movie and they blew it. But i think a sequel with a terrific director could still work.
p.s. I also loved Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate!