The house that Freddy built has finally remade its original franchise film, A Nightmare on Elm Street [NELMS]. Jackie Earl Haley [JEHAL] takes over the killer role of Freddy Krueger made famous by Robert Englund. The last horror film featuring the disfigured murderer of teens in their dreams, Freddy vs. Jason opened to $36.4 million in 2003. New Line then rebooted Jason’s franchise starter Friday the 13th to a $43.6 million opening weekend last year. While Friday the 13th incorporated fresh material, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a straight remake of the 1984 horror classic. The buzz on the R-rated film has not been overwhelmingly palpable. The name brand alone should draw out today’s young moviegoers, but nostalgic adults may stay home due to a rash of remake fatigue. Slicing into 3332 theaters, A Nightmare on Elm Street could wake up from the weekend with $35 million.
How to Train Your Dragon continues to perform demise-defying tricks at the box office. The 3D animated fantasy is poised to cross the $200 million milestone with another $11 million. That’s already enough for DreamWorks Animation to announce a sequel in 2013.
Is anyone really clamoring to see a movie about Brendan Fraser [BFRAS] getting roughed up by a bunch of forest animals? Well, Summit thought so and made Furry Vengeance [FURYV]. The PG-rated family film is strictly for kids who laugh at poop jokes, which are plentiful judging by the trailer. With Dragon still in a strong holding pattern, Furry Vengeance may deliver just $8 million from 2997 locations.
As a film aimed at older women, The Back-Up Plan [PLANB] should carry over 60% for a $7 million second weekend. On the other hand, the young-males-targeted The Losers is set to tumble more than 50% to around $4.5 million in its second session.
That’s the whisper from the trading floor.
Tag(s): NELMS, JEHAL, BFRAS, FURYV, PLANB