The supernatural shocker “Paranormal Activity” is no longer taking audiences by surprise.
The film is sinking at the box office after its stealth campaign made it the most unlikely smash of 2009.
But all that buzz and marketing savvy paid off. The film just crossed the $100 million mark at the box office, a feature bigger budgeted films like “Jennifer’s Body” and “The Stepfather” didn’t muster - combined.
And “Paranormal” is now the highest grossing R-rated thriller of the decade.
Not bad for a movie that opened in 12 college towns just a few weeks ago.
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I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of both the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
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Just saw it. Certainly better than Blair Witch. My wife is on the coach, however, motion sick from the film style. I’m just grinning. Possibly also from spying the young mom sneak in with two kids during the final 15 minutes. Obviously they have no clue what they’re watching and seeing the kids freak out practically sprinting for the door just makes me smile.
Perhaps a lesson will learned about sneaking into R rated films with children. If this came out when I was 10 yrs old and someone brought me to it I would’ve had nightmares for years.
I could not be happier. This film is a good creepy movie and was a perfect match for the Halloween season this year. Also nice to see something that relied on genuine creepiness. I have nothing against gore filled flicks (my user name says it all) but I also appreciate under your skin scares that make you think if you want to leave the light on. Haven’t seen one in a very long time.
Also as an independent filmmaker I am happy to see someone make a little film and have this kind of success. I love stories like this. Now we’ll see if his second film can show whether this filmmaker is more than a one hit wonder. For right now though I celebrate his success.