'Nightmare' Freddy claws his way to top

LOS ANGELES -- Freddy Krueger is raking in cash at the box office again, while Robert Downey Jr.'s "Iron Man 2" got off to a big start overseas.

A remake of the slasher flick "A Nightmare on Elm Street" led the weekend with a $32.2 million debut domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday. Released by the Warner Bros. banner New Line, the movie features Jackie Earle Haley as Krueger, a psycho killer who stalks and slays victims in their dreams.

Paramount's "Iron Man 2" got an international head start on its domestic debut this Friday, pulling in $100.2 million in 53 foreign markets.

"Iron Man 2" continues the story of Downey's billionaire superhero, a genius who builds himself a metal suit loaded with gadgets. Mickey Rourke co-stars as a new enemy with his own high-tech arsenal.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, DreamWorks Animation's hit "How to Train Your Dragon," slipped to second place with $10.8 million, raising its total to $192.4 million.

In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics' "Please Give" opened strongly with $128,696 in five theaters, averaging a healthy $25,739 a cinema. That compares with an average of $9,665 in 3,332 theaters for "A Nightmare on Elm Street." "Please Give" stars Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

1. "A Nightmare on Elm Street," $32.2 million.

2. "How to Train Your Dragon," $10.8 million.

3. "Date Night," $7.6 million.

4. "The Back-up Plan," $7.2 million.

5. "Furry Vengeance," $6.5 million.

6. "The Losers," $6 million.

7. "Clash of the Titans," $5.98 million.

8. "Kick-ass," $4.5 million.

9. "Death at a Funeral," $4 million.

10. "Oceans," $2.6 million.