In this image released by Paramount Pictures, a scene is shown from the film “Paranormal Activity 3.” - AP Photo

LOS ANGELES: “Paranormal Activity 3” scared up absolutely unreal earnings in its premiere weekend, taking in more than $53 million at the North American box office, industry data showed Monday.

The reheated, low-budget fright formula flick was red hot, with $52.6 million dollars in ticket sales between Friday and Sunday, industry monitor Exhibitor Relations reported.

It bumped the boxing robots of “Real Steel” out of the top spot. The Disney hit for children starring Hugh Jackman took in $10.8 million in second place.

A remake of the hit 1980s dance romp “Footloose” slipped to third place, with a haul of $10.4 million.

A 3-D reimagination of Dumas' “Three Musketeers” was in fourth place with $8.7 million in its first weekend out, followed by political thriller “The Ides of March,” starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, with $4.9 million at the box office.

“Dolphin Tale,” a feel-good family film starring Morgan Freeman about a boy who helps a dolphin get a prosthetic tail, netted $4.2 million this weekend, in sixth place, and $64.4 million to date.

“Moneyball,” a sports drama starring Brad Pitt as a baseball coach, was in the number seven spot, taking in $4 million, trailed by Rowan Atkinson-starring comedy “Johnny English Reborn” with $3.8 million in eighth.

Sci-fi horror flick “The Thing,” a prelude to the 1980s film of the same name, took in $3.1 million for ninth place.

It came in just ahead of “50/50,” a comedy about a 27-year-old man's battle against cancer starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen, which earned $2.8 million.

Opinion

Editorial

Wheat price crash
Updated 20 May, 2024

Wheat price crash

What the government has done to Punjab’s smallholder wheat growers by staying out of the market amid crashing prices is deplorable.
Afghan corruption
20 May, 2024

Afghan corruption

AMONGST the reasons that the Afghan Taliban marched into Kabul in August 2021 without any resistance to speak of ...
Volleyball triumph
20 May, 2024

Volleyball triumph

IN the last week, while Pakistan’s cricket team savoured a come-from-behind T20 series victory against Ireland,...
Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.