January 9, 2012 by Vinnie Leduc
The first full weekend of the 2012 is already a strange one as The Devil Inside defied all odds at last weekend’s domestic box office. Despite a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the mockumentary horror film endured boos during screenings on its way to denying Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol to a three-peat. Its estimated $34.5 million opening was the third-biggest ever for a January release and the fifth highest horror debut of all time.
The experience I had reflected the perplexing performance of The Devil Inside. When the theater I went to had to add an additional midnight showing on opening night, I overheard moviegoers wondering aloud whether this film was really this highly anticipated. And when The Devil Inside ended, there were plenty of people groaning and voicing their displeasure, including “WTF?” and “Lame!” I’d have to agree for the most part.
Here were the top 5 in the domestic box office last weekend via BOM:
- The Devil Inside — Weekend Gross: $34.5 million — Total Gross: $34.5 million (new)
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol — Weekend Gross: $20.5 million — Total Gross: $170.2 million (#1 last week)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows — Weekend Gross: $14.1 million — Total Gross: $157.4 million (#2 last week)
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo — Weekend Gross: $11.4 million — Total Gross: $76.8 million (#4 last week)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked — Weekend Gross: $9.5 million — Total Gross: $111.6 million (#3 last week)
