Box Office: 'The Devil Inside' is a surprise No. 1 [Video]
After two weekends atop the box office, Tom Cruise's latest film has tumbled to the runner-up position, thanks to a low-budget horror flick that was a surprise No. 1 pick.
"The Devil Inside," which Paramount Pictures acquired for a mere $1 million, was the weekend winner with a studio-estimated take of $34.5 million. Pre-release audience polling had indicated that the movie would make no more than $15 million upon its debut. Instead, it easily beat the fourth installment in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, which collected $20.5 million, lifting its overall total to around $170 million.
As a result of the strong ticket sales, the weekend was up 29% compared to the same period in 2011. That was good news for the movie business, which saw receipts fall 3% last year.
For more on the weekend's results, check out this week's box office video report.
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-- Amy Kaufman
Photo: Simon Quarterman and Isabella Rossi star in "The Devil Inside." Credit: Paramount Pictures