The Best Horror Movies

Horror flick tops Street Kings , 21 at box office

(NEWSER) - Prom Night scored at the box office this weekend, opening in first with $23 million, Variety reports. It easily shot down Keanu Reeves’ cop thriller Street Kings ($12 million) and trumped gambling flick 21, which banked $11 million in third. Dennis Quaid’s Smart People proved a no-brainer for audiences: The dramedy finished seventh with $4.2 million after mediocre reviews. More»

6 highest-grossing films all have it

(NEWSER) - One key to The Avengers' record success this weekend: its PG-13 rating. The top six highest-grossing movies ever made are all rated PG-13; the rating points to a film that's titillating enough for teens but isn't likely to offend adults, the Los Angeles Times notes. The rating has become a Holy Grail for movie execs, particularly lately. Last year, R-rated movies accounted for 21% of US box office takings—the lowest figure in decades. More»

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum flick snags top spot from 'The Lorax'

(NEWSER) - 21 Jump Street busted the weekend box office with a healthy $35 million take, appealing to both genders and drawing in viewers of all ages, the LA Times reports. No other film debuted nationwide, but in smaller markets Will Ferrell's Casa de Mi Padre banked a solid $2.2 million and Jeff, Who Lives at Home starring Jason Segel scored a middling $840,000. Filling out the top 5 are The Lorax ($22.8 million), John Carter ($13.5), Project X ($4), and A Thousand Words ($3.8), reports Entertainment Weekly . More»

High prices and few choices don't help: Roger Ebert

(NEWSER) - News that movie theaters had lackluster revenue in 2011 didn’t surprise Roger Ebert. He ticks off a list of the reasons why at his blog , including the lack of an Avatar-like blockbuster and usual suspects like too-high prices for tickets and refreshments. But also:

• Distractions: Loud talkers and people using their cell phones (with their bright screens) to text are getting out of hand.

Just don't call it a remake...

(NEWSER) - Say hello to my little friend ... again. Sort of. Universal Pictures is preparing to make (but not remake) a third Scarface, which it says will not be a rehashing of or sequel to either the 1932 or 1983 films, but a new version, reports Deadline . It'll share the same premise (outsider busts his way into the criminal underworld in a bid to achieve the, ahem, American dream; violence is involved). No word on ethnicity or geography (Italian/Chicago, Cuban/Miami played big in the first two versions, Deadline reminds us). Former Universal head Marc Shmuger will produce, along with Martin Bregman, who produced the Al Pacino version. More»