Get ready for a long run of Paranormal Activity films. The second in the series broke box-office records with its premiere this past weekend. Opening weekend yielded $41.5 million in ticket sales, crushing box office runner-up Jackass 3D. Hit the jump for more.
Spread out over 4,500 screens, Paranormal Activity 2 beat the previous record for a supernatural horror movie. 2004's The Grudge was the previous record holder, with $39.1 million on its opening weekend.
Nearly half of Paranormal Activity's box office came from Friday screenings - perhaps due to the push for midnight screenings, a perfect time for a horror pic - making it one of the biggest Friday-loaded openings ever. Box Office Mojo is predicting that Paranormal Activity 2 will have a quick flame-out after such an enormous opening weekend, but even if that happens, the film is still firmly in the "win" column.
Interesting features:
Made for a modest $3 million, the film set records for the biggest R-rated midnight opening ever and the biggest R-rated opening night ever en route to terrorizing the weekend box office to the tune of $41.5 million and a No. 1 B.O. ranking.
An estimated $41.5 million on around 3,200 screens. It's hard to compare to the film's predecessor, which rolled into theaters gradually as it built momentum, but there may be no point: this is the highest ever 3-day opening weekend for an R-rated horror film, at least if the real number is not significantly lower than the estimate (the current record holder, 'Friday the 13th,' is less than $1 million off). It was also extremely front-loaded, making almost half of its weekend gross on Friday (including midnight showings, which took in over $6 million).
It is directed by first-time genre filmmaker Tod Williams ('The Adventures of Sebastian Cole,' 'The Door in the Floor') and literally starring a cast of unknowns: not only are the actors not famous, but Paramount has done their best to keep us from learning their names. It is a sequel to Oren Peli's sleeper indie hit 'Paranormal Activity,' which cost $15,000 and grossed $108 million domestically last fall.
Audience reactions:
See the video below
Source: IMBD
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