Not only did Paranormal Activity 3 rule this particular weekend, it also made the biggest horror debut of all time, as well as a record high October weekend gross with $54 million. That’s also a solid 33% above the second Paranormal’s opening weekend gross. With a 74% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (higher than its predecessor’s 59%) this franchise is a hit with critics and audiences alike, showing no sign of stopping.
The third horror film had a reported budget of just $5 million, which means the trilogy’s total budget is close to $10 million and has reigned in an estimated $450 million and counting. Paramount is surely pleased with their investment.
Less pleased must be Summit, the studio behind the $80 million adaptation of The Three Musketeers that only managed to wrangle in $8 million this weekend. Now is the time for studios to dump their cheap wares and get ready for Oscar season, so many speculated the folks at Summit didn’t have much faith in the picture and would rather spend advertising dollars on the much anticipated Twilight: Breaking Dawn which comes to theaters in a scant three weeks. The limited marketing campaign surely validates this theory.
Here’s The Top Five For The Weekend of 10/21/11 to 10/23/11
1: Paranormal Activity 3 $54M
2: Real Steel $11.3M/$67.2M Total to Date
3: Footloose $10.9M/$30.9M Total to Date
4: Three Musketeers $8.8M
5: Ides of March $4.9M/$29.2M Total to Date
