'The Devil Inside' Tops US Weekend B-O

JAN 9, 2012 - The Devil Inside crushed even the most generous forecasts this weekend and easily claimed first place ahead of fellow Paramount release Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Its impressive debut combined with strong holdover performances resulted in an estimated US$128.2 million Top 12 gross, which is up a whopping 30 percent from the same weekend last year (though it's off 14 percent from the same frame in 2010).

Produced for less than $1 million and distributed by Paramount's Insurge label, The Devil Inside scared up an estimated US$34.5 million from 2,285 locations.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol dropped down to second place after leading the box office for the past few weeks. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows also held well this weekend: the sequel was off 33 percent to an estimated US$14.1 million.

Here are the Top 5 North American B-O studio estimates for Jan 6-8, 2012 weekend, in terms of rank, (previous week ranking), Movie name (studio), Weekend takings in USD, (Cumulative gross, USD) and week on chart, courtesy of Boxofficemojo. (US$1=RM3)

1. (-) The Devil Inside (Par.) $34.5 million ($34.5 million) 1

2. (1) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Par.) $20.5 million ($170.2 million) 4

3. (2) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (WB) $14.1 million ($157.4 million) 4

4. (4) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sony) $11.3 million ($76.8 million) 3

5. (3) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox) $9.5 million ($111.5 million) 4