"Prom Night" debuts as weekend's No. 1 movie

Studio estimates show audiences have made a date with "Prom Night" which has taken in $22.7 million (euro14.34 million) to debut as the weekend's No. 1 movie.

The remake of the 1980 slasher flick is released by Sony's Screen Gems.

It stars Brittany Snow as a teen terrorized by a psycho killer on prom night. It has overcome the critical drubbing handed to most fright films, which have a built-in audience that often turns out in big numbers on opening weekend regardless of reviews.

"Audiences today, they're so savvy in regards to what they want to see or don't want to see," says Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution.

Opening in second place is 20th Century Fox's "Street Kings," a cop drama starring Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker that has taken in $12 million (euro7.58 million).