娱乐英语新闻:"Nightmare on Elm Street" leads N.A. box office with scary scenes, big turnouts

LOS ANGELES, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Warner Bros.' remake of a 1984 horror flick "Nightmare on Elm Street" debuted this weekend with a phenomenal 32.2 million U.S. dollars in ticket receipts and dethroned last weekend's No. 1 "How to Train Your Dragon," the North America box office authority said on Sunday, citing projected statistics over the weekend.

A week before the summer movie season officially begins, the updated version was helped by a big marketing campaign and a perfect release timing as well as the audience's lingering love for the horror films. It garnered more than the original version's domestic gross of 25.5 million U.S. dollars, the North America box office authority said.

The movie features the horror icon Freddy Krueger, a serial- killer who wields a glove with four blades embedded in the fingers and kills people in their dreams, resulting in their real death in reality. The remarkable performance sets it apart from the near competitor by a big margin.

"How to Train Your Dragon," a six-weekend 3-D animated holdover at the U.S. and Canadian box offices, was reduced by "Nightmare" to No. 2 place. It took in 10.8 million U.S. dollars, registering a low 29-percent drop over the last weekend when it rose back again to the top billing. The Paramount/DWA fantasy has raked in a total of 192.4 million U.S. dollars in domestic movie theaters.

The third and fourth places were taken by another two holdovers from the previous weekends.

"Date Night," a comedy starring comedian duo Steve Carell and Tina Fey by 20th Century Fox, has held to its third place for three straight weekends, fetching another 7.6 million U.S. dollars for a domestic total of 73.7 million.

CBS Film's "The Back-Up Plan," which debuted last week, was fourth with 7.2 million U.S. dollars. The Jennifer Lopez vehicle has taken in a total of 23 million U.S. dollars for its two-week run.

"Furry Vengeance," a live action family comedy from independent studio Summit Entertainment starring Brenda Fraser and Brooke Shields, opened with 6.5 million U.S. dollars over the weekend. In the movie, a band of angry animals, led by an incredibly clever raccoon, stymie an ambitious young real estate developer's plan and teach him about the environmental consequences of man's encroachment on nature.