Matt Damon and director Clint Eastwood explore what happens after we die in the Hereafter (reviews): And Baby goes for ride in his crib for Paranormal Activity 2 (reviews)
Carl DiOrio of THR:
Box-office expectations have levitated for the second installment in Paramount's low-budget Paranormal Activity franchise.
Production costs on Paranormal Activity 2 also rose from the $15,000 in pocket change and candy wrappers spent to produce its predecessor. Paramount shelled out a whopping $1 million-plus to produce the prequel to last year's sleeper hit that grossed $108 million.
Unspooling in more than 3,000 domestic locations, Paranormal 2 looks likely to conjure $18 million-$22 million through Sunday. That should be plenty to justify marketing costs of $25 million or so, with foreign grosses and ancillary revenue also likely to be substantial.
Like the original, the R-rated prequel is expected to play mostly to younger crowds and skew a bit female. Unlike the first pic, Paranormal 2 is expected to do most of its business during its opening weekend, which will be padded by screenings at midnight Thursday in most locations.
"You have to go after it like a regular movie and build your marketing on that basis," Paramount executive vp distribution Don Harris said. "So I think it's mostly about the opening weekend."
Paranormal Activity creeped into the marketplace with just $77,873 from 12 theaters during its low-profile launch in September 2009. Within three weeks of that Internet-hyped limited bow, the micro-budgeted franchise-starter had widened to 760 theaters and $33 million in cumulative coin amid broadening buzz among more mainstream moviegoers.
The first Paranormal also copped $85.4 million in foreign lucre. Paranormal 2 bows this week in 21 international territories.
As for whether it can open at No. 1, its main competition is a holdover from ... Paramount....
EW
Paramount Pictures will likely be trick-or-treating early this year, as the studio is expected to snag the top two spots at the box office over the weekend with its horror sequel Paranormal Activity 2 and the surprisingly potent Jackass 3D
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