'Insidious: Chapter 2' wins the weekend box
office
By Todd Cunningham
TheWrap
The low-budget, heavy on the scares formula that has made horror films like
"The Purge" and "The Conjuring" among the biggest hits of the years continued to
reap dividends this weekend as "Insidious: Chapter 2" trounced studio estimates
and dominated the box office.
Find: Is 'Insidious' based on a real story? | The Week in Quotes
The FilmDistrict and Blumhouse Productions film opened to north of $41
million in 3,049 locations, according to studio estimates. It had been projected
to open in the $30 million range, but built up an impressive head of steam in
terms of pre-sales heading into the weekend.
The numbers for the film fall just short of the $41.9 million that director
James Wan's previous effort "The Conjuring" opened to last July. The sequel's
debut far eclipses the $13.3 million that the original "Insidious" racked up in
2011.
Also: What did the critics say?
"Blumhouse has this micro-budget formula down pat and James Wan has mastered
the scary movie," Jim Orr, president of distribution at FilmDistrict, said.
"This film delivers in every way. The original film built up a lot of good will
and this film works seamlessly with the original, but it's even more intense."
With "The Conjuring" and "Insidious: Chapter 2" both breaking out in a big
way, Wan has now joined the A-list — a promotion that becomes official when
"Fast & the Furious 7" roars into theaters next year with the horror maestro
at the steering wheel. See more