‘Paranormal’ bonkers at box office

The new comedy “Couples Retreat” earned roughly $35 million over the weekend.

Yawn.

The real box office success belongs to “Paranormal Activity,” the indie-sized horror flick which earned more than $7 million on only 160 screens.

Compare that to “Couples Retreat,” which earned its coin via 3,000 screens.

“Activity,” a “Blair Witch” meets Standard Haunted House story, is scaring up customers the old fashioned way – word of mouth with a side of savvy marketing buzz.

That matters to movie goers is that a smart horror film has cut through the media noise. Hopefully, filmmakers will learn the lessons behind the film and duplicate it with alacrity.

That doesn’t mean more single shaky cam epics. The sub genre remains extremely tough to pull off, and the last thing movie goers need is a dozen “Activity” rip offs.

It’s simply proof that crowds still want to share a scary communal experience at the local cineplex, and they don’t need big budgets, over-the-top gore or big stars to make it happen.

Related posts:

1. ‘Paranormal Activity’ – First thoughts
2. ‘Paranormal’ reaches new milestone
3. ‘Paranormal’ shows off real curves
4. ‘Paranormal Activity’ – This spare niche project lives up to hype
5. ‘Transformers’ set to rock box office