Friday’s box office got off to a strong start thanks to the $15 million generated by Paranormal Activity 4 , Entertainment Weekly is reporting. The fourth installment in the popular horror franchise has managed to recoup its $5 million budget in just 24 hours. Needless to say, expect Paranormal Activity 5 to hit theaters this time next year.
Paranormal Activity 4 , which was directed by Paranormal Activity 3 filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, is newest entry in Paramount’s successful supernatural franchise. Powered by relatively small budgets and October release dates, the films have consistently generated a substantial amount of money for studio executives. Even if the latest installment fails to make as much cash as its predecessors, it’s safe to assume that the series will run into the foreseeable future.
Ben Affleck’s Argo , meanwhile, is hanging onto the second place spot at the box office by pulling nearly over $5 million. The film, which tells the true story of a secret operation to collect six fugitive American diplomatic personnel from Iran, is earning its cast and crew plenty of kudos from critics and moviegoers alike.
According to Box Office Mojo , the Liam Neeson action thriller Taken 2 continues to perform well despite the mostly negative reviews the movie received upon its release. Given the popularity of original flick, it’s not overly surprisingly that audiences are willing to overlook bad press in order to see its star beat the stuffing out of bad guys once again.
Unfortunately for Tyler Perry’s Alex Cross , audiences may be taking the film’s negative reviews into consideration. Despite a strong promotional push and the star power of its lead, the latest James Patterson adaptation only managed to bring in $4 million on Friday. If the movie continues to perform at this rate, the studio may decide to pass on the proposed sequel. It’s probably a good thing the movie only cost $25 million to make.
Are you surprised that Paranormal Activity 4 beat out the competition at the box office on Friday?
