Scary Movie Tops US Box Office

The spoof horror film Scary Movie, directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by his brothers Shawn and Marlon (who also appear in the film), has knocked The Perfect Storm from the number one slot at the US box office after only one week. The low-budget horror comedy only cost about $19 million to make, but took a whopping $42.5 million on its opening weekend, making it the second biggest opener this year after Mission: Impossible 2, which took $57.9 million. Scary Movie is a broad comedy but was rated R due to its mix of sex and violence - exactly the kind of thing to set the box office alight. A parody of teen slasher films like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, it features a load of gross-out gags featuring genitalia and bodily fluids, and stars Shannon Elizabeth from American Pie and former Baywatch star Carmen Electra.