National Lampoon's European Vacation

CINEPLEX A HOSTEL ENVIRONMENT

And not just 'cause if you ask some bozo to keep it down, he'll tell ya to do stuff to yourself that you always thought you needed a partner for, either. Hostel — a sort of National Lampoon's European Vacation for masochists — debuted in first place at the box office with $20.1 million. (But if people are really so into torture, why didn't Elektra do better? Riddle me that.) Dropping into second and third, respectively, were The Chronicles of a Movie Whose Title Is So Long, It Could Be Considered a Chronicle in and of Itself (with $15.4 million) and King Kong (with $12.5 million). Nowhere near the top of the heap was the Adam Sandler-produced turkey Grandma's Boy, which took in a measly $2.9 million and, we hope, made Chris Kattan feel at least a little better about Corky Romano.