(“Hurrr, I’m terrified of doors.”)

It still haven’t seen Paranormal Activity because it looks boring, but the “found-footage” thriller did earn $151 million on an initial budget of $15,000 (initial being a key distinction…), so naturally a sequel was greenlit.  So how do you use studio backing to recreate the charm of a low-budget phenomenon?  You go the Blair Witch 2 route and just hire a studio director, duh.  Don’t you know anything about Hollywood?

Paramount has hired screenwriter Michael R. Perry and director Kevin Greutert to create the sequel. Greutert made his directorial debut on the sixth “Saw” film, which grossed just $31 million worldwide, with observers thinking that the franchise may be bleeding dry.  Significantly, Paramount will unleash it in theaters on the pre-Halloween weekend of October 22, which sets it against that date’s reigning champion in previous years, the next installment in Lionsgate’s “Saw” series (this year would be “VII”). [THR]

Have you noticed every stupid horror movie seems to make money in this slot?  I think maybe they should keep charging admission, but this time instead of a movie, they could just hand out Mountain Dew and meth and let these slack-jawed bumblef*cks pick ticks off each other for two hours.

(“IS YOUR DAUGHTER’S ROOM THIS WAY?”)

THE BOX OFFICE WIPE UP, OCTOBER 26, 2009
In a surprise move, today’s box office estimates reveal that horror movie fans may have a brain, as Paranormal Activity outgrossed Saw VI by seven million dollars.  I normally wouldn’t root for a movie grown-ass men are trying to say is haunted, but it’s pretty easy to root against Saw VI.  At least now we know that, if provided a decent alternative, you sick freaks that absolutely need horror movies will avoid the blatantly mass-produced ones.  This was the worst opening for a Saw movie since Saw I.

Where the Wild Things Are fell a surprising 56% from its opening weekend and looks to have a tough time recouping its $100 million budget.  Where were you at this weekend, marketing slugs?  Notice how they always take credit for success but never failure?

Wild Things rustled up an estimated $14.4 million, lifting its total to $54 million in ten days, but its drop was much steeper than Bridge to Terabithia and other similar titles. [BoxOfficeMojo]

Tough luck, WTWTA.  But take solace in the fact that you made a movie unique enough that the best comparison industry analysts could come up with was f-cking Bridge to Terabithia.  That’s gotta be a victory of some sort.

Read the rest of this entry »