Paramount’s decision to set up a unit to make and purchase micro-budget genre movies for under a million dollars certainly seems to be paying off. They decided on the strategy following the success of Paranormal Activity, and with The Devil Inside it’s working far better than they expected.
The studio predicted an $8-$10 million opening for the horror film (which they bought for only a million), but in the end they got a $34 million weekend, which is the most any film has ever opened to in early January. It’s an impressive achievment, which many believe is down to a good marketing campaign that attracted young men, who’ve been conspicuous by their absence at the box office recently.
There were no other new openers in the top 10, although Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy made its first appearance in the top 10 after it expanded from 50 to over 800 screens. The movie added another $5 million to place ninth, and with the per screen average holding up extremely well during its expansion, it could become a significant indie hit as the awards season gears up.
| Rank | Title | Weekend Gross (millions) |
Total Gross to date (millions) |
| 1 | The Devil Inside | $34.5 | $34.5 |
| 2 | Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol |
$20.5 | $170.2 |
| 3 | Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows |
$14.0 | $157.4 |
| 4 | The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo |
$11.3 | $76.8 |
| 5 | Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked |
$9.5 | $111.5 |
| 6 | War Horse | $8.6 | $56.8 |
| 7 | We Bought A Zoo | $8.4 | $56.5 |
| 8 | The Adventures Of Tintin |
$6.6 | $61.8 |
| 9 | Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy |
$5.7 | $10.4 |
| 10 | New Year’s Eve | $3.2 | $52.0 |
General movie news courtesy of Movie Muser
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