A year after the first Paranormal Activity became a word of mouth hit, the sequel Paranormal Activity 2 [PNAC2] opened with an estimated $41.5 million to set a new high for horror. 2004's The Grudge held the previous mark at $39.1 million. Produced for just $3 million, the sequel, which turned out to be a prequel, that gave fans more of the surveillance video scares they enjoyed from the original.
Last weekend's top film Jackass 3D [JCKA3] tumbled 57% to $21.6 million. The pranksters have already banked $87.1 million in 10 days.
Red [RED1] finished third with $15.0 million. The action comedy declined just 31% from its debut.
In its first weekend of wide expansion, Hereafter [HAFTR] managed only a fourth place finish with $12.0 million. The older target audience for the Clint Eastwood-directed [CEAST] drama are likely to wait for word of mouth, which is not particularly strong.
| Rank | TITLE | F-S-S | TOTAL |
| 1 | PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 | $41,500,000 | $41,500,000 |
| 2 | JACKASS 3D | $21,600,000 | $87,147,000 |
| 3 | RED | $15,000,000 | $43,483,269 |
| 4 | HEREAFTER | $12,005,000 | $12,320,000 |
| 5 | THE SOCIAL NETWORK | $7,300,000 | $72,931,000 |
| 6 | SECRETARIAT | $6,917,000 | $37,360,000 |
| 7 | LIFE AS WE KNOW IT | $6,150,000 | $37,615,000 |
| 8 | LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: THE OWLS OF GA'HOOLE | $3,175,000 | $50,172,000 |
| 9 | THE TOWN | $2,720,000 | $84,653,000 |
| 10 | EASY A | $1,750,000 | $54,785,000 |
| 11 | WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS | $1,215,000 | $49,972,135 |
| 12 | MY SOUL TO TAKE | $1,055,625 | $13,968,905 |
SOurce: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Tag(s): PNAC2, JCKA3, RED1, HAFTR, CEAST