CinemaNerdz

Weekend Box-Office: Paranormal Activity 3 is a Real Scream

Seth Paul

If there was one franchise almost guaranteed to turn a profit, it’s the Paranormal Activity franchise, and the third time was definitely the charm. At an estimated $54 million, Paranormal Activity 3 was far and away the best opening of all the Activity films, and miles ahead of its competition. It opened well above the two-week champion Real Steel, which was finally dealt a strong blow with only an estimated $11.3 million, and Footloose, which earned an estimated $10.9 million. While Footloose has made a profit over its reported $24 million budget, no word yet on whether Real Steel has gained or lost.  Activity 3 holds no shame in reporting its own $5 million budget, thanks mostly to its low-tech recording style and no big-name stars.

Nothing else was able to break the $10 million mark; The Three Musketeers, even with 3D ticket sales, debuted with lots of big name stars and only an estimated $8.8 million. The Ides of March fell well below that; despite only a small drop in revenue from last week, it earned a comparatively small estimated $4.9 million, with no signs of whether the film is a hit or miss (budget numbers are still hushed). However, Dolphin Tale and Moneyball, despite falling to sixth and seventh with an estimated $4.2 and $4.1 million, respectively, have been proven winners after five weeks in the Top 10, with both grossing over $60 million apiece.

The bottom holds one weak opening, one precipitous slide, and one success that just can’t find room in the top spots anymore. Johnny English Reborn opened to American audiences with a rather flat $3.8 million estimate, despite its $45 million budget; however, its British roots are making it more popular overseas, as its foreign earnings have totaled well over $100 million. The Thing, on the other hand, has no foreign box office to speak of, and dropped off sharply from last week…the biggest drop of all the top ten finishers, actually…with an estimated $3.1 million. In tenth place, 50/50 is likely not to place next week, but it doesn’t go out undefeated; the independent comedy-drama may have only taken in an estimated $2.8 million for the weekend, but the $8 million budgeted film has already picked up $28.8 million in earnings.

Weekend Box-Office (October 21 – October 23)

  1. Paranormal Activity 3…$54 million
  2. Real Steel…$11.3 million
  3. Footloose…$10.9 million
  4. The Three Musketeers…$8.8 million
  5. The Ides of March…$4.9 million
  6. Dolphin Tale…$4.2 million
  7. Moneyball…$4.1 million
  8. Johnny English Reborn…$3.8 million
  9. The Thing…$3.1 million
  10. 50/50…$2.8 million

Seth Paul

When not failing to write novels and screenplays, box-office guru Seth writes humorous comedy tracks for films under the name "The One Man Band" that can be found at Rifftrax.com. Although, he has recently succeeded in writing the novella "Jack Alan and the Case of the Not-Exactly Rocket Scientists," available as an eBook on Amazon. He is also the English voice of Zak in "Zak McKracken: Between Time and Space."
Exit mobile version