There was nothing abnormal about Paranormal Activity 4 over the weekend, as the supernatural sequel fell a little short of its predecessors but still opened atop the box office Top 10.
Audiences looking to get a head start on Halloween scares powered the fourth Paranormal to an estimated $30.2 million. And while that was enough to win the weekend, it was a step in the wrong direction for this annual fright franchise.
Case in point: PA2 opened to $40.6M in 2010, but PA3 jumped out to $52.5M in 2011. The fact that the fourth film opened to less that part two – and failed to build on the momentum of the series – has to be disconcerting for Paramount (who likely have plans for PA5 in the works).
Speaking of sequels losing a little steam, Taken 2 tumbled down to fourth place in the Top 10. After leading the charts for two consecutive weekends, Liam Neeson’s film posted an estimated $13.4M, but went over the $100M mark in the process.
Warner Bros. continued to expand Ben Affleck’s Argo into more theaters, helping ensure that he Oscar hopeful only slipped 14.6% from its opening weekend. Argo added $$16.6M to its overall cume, which now sits at $43.1M.
That’s better than Alex Cross, which got the potential James Patterson franchise off to a soft start with an $11.7M opening. Tyler Perry’s audience normally shows up in bigger numbers for his Madea comedies. Perhaps they weren’t interested in seeing him as a detective, leading a thriller Perry didn’t direct?
Keeping the costs down on the film, however, could ensure that Alex Cross spawns the sequel Perry already said he wants to make: Double Cross.
Here’s the full Top 10 list for the weekend:
MOVIE / WEEKEND / TOTAL
1. Paranormal Activity 4, $30.2M
2. Argo, $16.6M, $43.1M
3. Hotel Transylvania, $13.5M, $119M
4. Taken 2, $13.4M, $105.9M
5. Alex Cross, $11.7M
6. Sinister, $9M, $31.9M
7. Here Comes the Boom, $8.5M, $23.2M
8. Pitch Perfect, $7M, $45.7M
9. Frankenweenie, $4.4M, $28.3M
10. Looper, $4.2M, $57.8M
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