LOS ANGELES — Paranormal Activity 3 vanquished the box-office ghosts last weekend, taking in a whopping $52.6 million upon its premiere in the United States.
The two other new films in wide release last weekend flopped. An expensive 3-D version of The Three Musketeers grossed a disappointing $8.7 million. And Johnny English Reborn, a comedy starring British comedian Rowan Atkinson, did not resonate with American audiences.
Still, the results for Paramount Pictures’ third Paranormal made for the first truly stellar box-office weekend of the fall, which has been characterized by middling performances from high profile releases.
Paranormal’s opening was the highest-ever October debut, and it helped power the top 12 movies to their highest total, $110.3 million, since the middle of August. Analysts had anticipated a $40 million to $45 million opening for the third installment in the supernatural franchise.
“Horror fans came out in very large numbers last weekend, and that’s a testament to the filmmakers and the enduring power of this franchise,” said Rob Moore, Paramount Pictures vice chairman.
While Moore declined to elaborate on plans for the franchise, the ticket sales all but assured there will be a fourth Paranormal film, and the numbers solidified Paranormal’s status as the Halloween heir to the Saw series.
In keeping with the general pattern for horror pictures, Paranormal drew a higher proportion of women - 54 percent of the audience. About 53 percent of the audience was under age 25.
The movie grossed an additional $26 million in its debut abroad, which included France, Australia and Russia.
Fortunately for Summit Entertainment, the studio does not have much money invested in Musketeers, as the movie was financed by Germany’s Constantin Film for about $90 million.
Of the limited number of people who did see the film in the United States, 64 percent were over age 25.Audiences gave the critically panned film an average grade of B. About 55 percent of the film’s ticket sales came from 3-D receipts.
With Johnny English Reborn, Atkinson again failed to connect with American audiences. The actor, best known for playing Mr. Bean, has never been a favorite stateside. 2003’s Johnny English, in which Atkinson originated his role as an incompetent secret agent, opened to a better $9.1 million but ended up grossing only $28 million in the U.S. Overseas, the picture collected a healthy $132.5 million in sales.
It seems Johnny English Reborn will follow a similar trajectory. Although the film will probably make less in America than the original did, it is on pace to easily out-gross its predecessor abroad. Last weekend, the movie crossed the $100 million mark at the international box office, collecting $13.5 million from 44 countries. The film’s foreign total now stands at $104.5 million, and the movie has yet to open in 15 markets overseas.
MovieStyle, Pages 34 on 10/28/2011