Paranormal Activity continues its abnormal run at the box office with an estimated $7.6 million take on Friday and a head start on winning its second consecutive weekend.
Four new films challenged Paranormal Activity on Friday and of them, Saw VI came the closest with just under $7 million. The previous Saw films had all grossed north of $30 million which makes the projected $15 to $20 million opening for the sixth installment the first gross disappointment for the series.
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, hoping to lure some of the Twilight crowed, has quickly proven another 2009 flop for Universal. The film, based on the popular book series, managed a mere $2.2 million on Friday. The two other newcomers, CGI animation sans 3D Astro Boy and Hilary Swank in Amelia, failed to top $2 million.
Where the Wild Things Are pulled in $4.4 million for a rough 64% drop from its previous Friday. Weekend projections put it in the $12-$15 million range. Law Abiding Citizen brought in $4.1 million and Couple Retreat $3.7 million.
Complete weekend box office results will be published Sunday, a recap of our Weekend Box Office Prophet game on Monday night, and the next round of the game on Tuesday.