JOSH HARTNETT - VAMPIRE THRILLER TAKES US NO1

VAMPIRE THRILLER TAKES US NO1

Vampire thriller 30 Days of Night has proved a hit with American audiences, storming straight to the top of the US box office chart after its first weekend.

The R-rated comic book-adaptation took home $16 million (£7.8 million), pushing Why Did I Get Married? into second place.

Starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George, 30 Days of Night sees an Alaskan town plunged into darkness for a whole month while it is attacked by bloodthirsty vampires.

Third in the US box office after the weekend is Disney's family drama The Game Plan starring popular wrestler the Rock.

George Clooney's latest film Michael Clayton, also featuring Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack, is close behind in fourth place while Ben Affleck's kidnapping drama Gone Baby Gone is in fifth.

Reese Witherspoon's latest film Rendition received mixed reviews from US critics - with some calling it "gripping" and others "clumsy" - and it seems the public has also not been won over, with the film taking just $4.2 million (£2.06 million) in its opening weekend to place it in ninth in the charts.