‘Paranormal Activity 3’ Scares Up Huge Debut

“Paranormal Activity 3” made a ton of noise at the box office with a record-setting $54 million opening. The third film in Paramount Pictures’ low-budget fright franchise, which was No. 1 at the box office, had the biggest debut ever for a horror movie, according to studio estimates. It broke the previous record part two set a year ago with $40.7 million. It’s also the biggest opening ever for an October release, topping the $50.35 million Paramount’s “Jackass 3D” made last year. “Paranormal Activity 3” is actually a prequel, with the discovery of disturbing home-movie footage from 1988. The first “Paranormal Activity,” with its reported $15,000 budget, became a phenomenon in 2009 through midnight screenings and word of mouth.