Paranormal Activity's Amazing Hot Streak

I know, I've been terrible about writing. But I've been swamped preparing for this viral comedy short I produced last weekend. Now that it's (mostly!) over, I hope to get back to the nitty gritty. In the meantime, check out the excerpt below from Nikki Finke today about Paranormal. The numbers are incredible and speak to what its possible for filmmakers to achieve. True $10 million in P&A doesn't hurt, but what impressed me most was that a slow build through digital word of mouth, when done correctly, can be highly successful. Turns out the industry is cyclical, after all. For the most part, it had seemed that the roll-out release strategy had been nixed for not generating enough buzz around a film to be financially viable. But now its back, and proving to be very successful with niche films like Paranormal Activity, or even A Serious Man.

On the other hand, Paramount's Paranormal Activity received its "R" rating for language. The pic scored $7.5M Friday and is looking to be close to $8.6 million for Saturday and a weekend of $22 million. The cume should zoom to $62.4M. I can report that, as it expands for next Halloween weekend, the studio is starting to think the thriller has a shot at $100M. Which would make this the most profitable pic in modern Paramount history. After all, the project was acquired for a mere $300K, and the studio spent under $10M total on prints and advertising, "so this will be the best return Paramount has ever had," an insider tells me. Amazing, since Paramount had been playing the movie mostly at midnight shows and in just a 100 or so dates. Then again, the hype has been so successful -- right down to the claim that Steven Spielberg screened it and returned it in a trash bag.