I never thought I would ever find myself writing this:  ‘A Josh Hartnett-led film has opened at #1.’  Of course, he did have a little help from a vampire or two..

The horror film, 30 Days of Night, had an impressive debut for what was actually an unimpressive weekend.  With only $16 million, the Alaskan-set vampire flick beat out a host of movies filled with Oscar-nominated stars.  Ben Affleck’s well-reviewed directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, opened up in 6th place.  Rendition, starring are-they-or-aren’t-they-dating Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal, barely cracked the Top Ten.  Meanwhile, Things We Lost in the Fire placed a dismal 15th despite the presence of Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro (and promotion on Oprah).

The success of 30 Days and the surprise return of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas - which placed 8th even though it was only in 564 theaters - clearly spells out the audience’s need for some Halloween fare.  This bodes well for the release of Saw IV which opens next weekend.  (Yay!)

1. 30 Days of Night, Sony, $15,951,902
2. Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married?, Lionsgate, $12,186,011
3. The Game Plan, Disney, $8,178,646
4. Michael Clayton, Warner Bros., $6,677,272
5. The Comebacks, 20th Century Fox, $5,554,594
6. Gone Baby Gone, Miramax, $5,501,406
7. We Own The Night, Sony, $5,420,793
8. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Touchstone, $5,330,101
9. Rendition, New Line, $4,060,012
10. The Heartbreak Kid, Paramount, $3,814,636