‘Alien vs. Predator’ opens at No. 1 spot

Expect more monster mashing from Hollywood.

The conjoining of the slimy “Alien” monster and the deadly “Predator” soldiers into the same film ended up making an estimated $38.25 million over the weekend — more than when “Freddy vs. Jason” broke horror genre records last year.

“Alien vs. Predator” marked a better weekend than any of the four “Alien” films or either of the two previous “Predator” movies.

And it didn’t have the star value of Sigourney Weaver from the “Alien” films or Arnold Schwarzenegger from the first “Predator” film.

Meanwhile, the sequel “Princess Diaries 2” opened better than its predecessor in 2001, which made $22.8 million.

Even though this one opened midweek on a Wednesday, the Anne Hathaway romantic film, also starring Julie Andrews, brought in $23 million from Friday through Sunday – a crowning second-place finish.

Tom Cruise’s “Collateral” fell to third place, taking in $16 million in its second week.

The week’s other major new release, the animated children’s film “Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie,” based on a Japanese cartoon show, was fourth with $9.4 million.

Last year, when the “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” franchises were brought together by New Line for “Freddy vs. Jason,” it earned $36.4 million and was considered the largest opening of any monster movie (unless you add in dinosaurs, or consider “Signs,” which would fall into the sci-fi genre).

With “Alien vs. Predator,” Fox banked on striking gold like New Line did during a slow end-of-summer slot, and it surpassed all expectations — especially since the studio had no advance screenings for critics, and interviews with the director and cast were canceled at the last minute so that final tweaks could be made on the movie.

“Alien vs. Predator,” featuring Sanaa Lathan and “Aliens” and “Alien 3” co-star Lance Henriksen, centers on a human expedition that stumbles on a space-monster blood feud in an ancient pyramid buried below Antarctica.

Preceded by “Alien vs. Predator” video games, the movie drew a largely male audience, most younger than 25.

To broaden its appeal, 20th Century Fox brought the movie in at a PG-13 rating, though the previous four “Alien” films and two “Predator” flicks had hard R ratings for violence.