Box Office Report: 'Paranormal Activity 3' Collects a Franchise Best $8 Mil in Midnight Shows

Paramount's Halloween horror pic Paranormal Activity 3 grossed a stellar $8 million in Thursday midnight grosses from 2,200 theaters in North America -- 30 percent higher than last year's Paranormal Activity 2, which earned $6.3 million.our editor recommendsBox Office Preview: 'Paranormal Activity 3' Expected to Open North of $30 MillionParanormal Activity 3: Film Review The prequel now has a strong shot at matching the $40.7 million opening of the sequel, bucking the overall downturn at the domestic box office. The midnight grosses were the best ever for an R-rated film after Hangover Part II, which earned $10.4 million in midnight runs this past summer. And Paranormal 3 also is off to a strong start overseas, where it's outpacing Paranormal 2 as well. The movie opened to $521K in France on Thursday, 13 pecent of Paranormal 2. In Russia, the $550K opening waas 45 percent higher than the sequel, while Australia turned in $516K, 14 percent ahead. The Paranormal franchise, produced by Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Steven Schneider, has been one of the most profitable film series in recent memory. The first Paranormal, which cost $15,000 to produce and opened in a limited run in September 2009, went on to gross $193.4 million worldwide. Paranormal 2 cost $3 million to produce, and grossed $177.5 million worldwide. The threequel's budget is pegged at $5 million. Related Topics Box Office Paranormal Activity 3