Lack of reviews won’t kill ‘Prom Night’

“Leatherheads,” last weekend’s release starring George Clooney and Renee Zellweger, was the kind of quirky movie that needed help from critics despite its prominent cast. Instead, Universal Pictures’ screwball-football comedy, a period piece aimed at adults, got lukewarm reviews and opened to a soft $12.7 million at the box office.

“Prom Night,” coming out today from Sony Pictures and its Screen Gems division, looks to be an easier sell -- even without major stars or reviews from most critics. The PG-13-rated horror-thriller, aimed at teenagers and young adults, should be No. 1 this weekend with $18 million to $22 million in ticket sales, based on consumer tracking surveys.

A loose reworking of the 1980 film with the same name, “Prom Night” is a $20-million production, the kind of modestly budgeted genre flick that Screen Gems has turned into a profitable niche. The movie is tracking especially well with teen girls, as fright films often do, which should lead to a strong first night.

The Screen Gems formula combines crafty marketing with careful scheduling. The horror-thrillers “The Messengers” and “When a Stranger Calls,” for example, both opened at No. 1 on cushy weekends similar to this.

“Street Kings,” an R-rated, crooked-cop drama from Fox Searchlight Pictures with an ensemble cast headed by Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker, could open at No. 2 with $10 million to $12 million.

Miramax Films’ “Smart People,” an R-rated romantic comedy-drama starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church and “Juno” herself, Ellen Page, gets a wide release as well but appears headed for only about $3 million.

“Prom Night,” with a cast including Brittany Snow from “Hairspray” and Scott Porter from NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” is about a group of high school students hoping for the night of their lives, only to be stalked by a psychopath who has other ideas (and don’t they always).

Although the original was an R-rated forerunner to today’s torture porn genre, the new version is an example of the PG-13 brand of psychological terror that has been playing better at the box office such as “Disturbia” and “Premonition.” Even so, the ratings board cited “violence and terror, some sexual material, underage drinking and language.”

Screen Gems has been pushing the movie with spooky trailers and old-school gimmicks. At 120 theaters around the country last month, it placed displays that looked like the entrance to a prom ballroom; when curious customers opened the door, employees popped out screaming.

A video of the shenanigans made its way online. Spoiler alert! Those who believe YouTube.com is entirely organic should remain seated while reading the rest of this paragraph. Projector suspects Screen Gems had a hand in making that happen.

In one cross promotion, MTV has been celebrating “Prom Week” on its music video show “TRL.” In another, radio stations in 40 markets have held “Pimp Your Prom” contests, in which celebrity DJs -- not actual pimps -- are sent to winning schools to spin music.

“Street Kings,” co-written by novelist James Ellroy, has a gritty, contemporary “L.A. Confidential” noir feel and figures to compete with “Prom Night” for younger males. It also could appeal to more seasoned, original gangstas like Projector, although its mixed reviews won’t help.

Produced for about $20 million, the crime drama should draw an ethnically diverse crowd thanks to a cast that includes Hugh Laurie from “House,” Chris Evans from the “Fantastic Four” films, and rappers Common and the Game along with Whitaker and Reeves. Rated R for “strong violence and pervasive language,” it was directed by David Ayer, the writer and co-producer of “Training Day.”

“Smart People,” about a widowed professor whose life is changed by a new love and a surprise visit from his ne’er-do-well brother, might also be hurt by mixed reviews.

Advance notices have been enthusiastic, however, for two limited releases, which could translate into potent per-theater averages.

“The Visitor,” from Overture Films, is a comedy-drama written and directed by Thomas McCarthy (“The Station Agent”) and starring character actor Richard Jenkins.

“Young@Heart” is a Fox Searchlight documentary about an elderly chorus -- not the Rolling Stones, that’s a different movie -- whose set list includes the Clash, Coldplay and James Brown. The distributor hopes for a feel-good breakout hit akin to the 2002 spelling-bee documentary “Spellbound.”

josh.friedman@latimes.com