Much like The Blair Witch Projectbefore it, 2007’s Paranormal Activity retains the power to leave us sleepless and wide-eyed with deceptively subtle scares. A heavy footstep. The breath of of an unseen monster lifting a strand of hair.
For me, it was the very first found footage horror I ever saw and the realism had a jarring effect on me no amount of CGI gore could have replicated. The characters’ confusing bickering felt genuine. Their continuously rising panic felt genuine.
The sequel’s development was originally announced in June of this year, with Paramount reteaming with Jason Blum‘s prolific, acclaimed Blumhouse Productions. While we still don’t know anything about its plot, cast, or director, a defined release date gives Paranormal Activity fans something to be excited about. At the moment, it’s opening against Tomb Raider 2, United Artists’ sequel to the 2018 reboot of the popular multimedia franchise starring Alicia Vikander. For reference, Tomb Raider grossed $275 million worldwide, whereas the last Paranormal Activity entry (The Ghost Dimension) grossed only $79 million. However, it’s important to note the budgets of these franchises when speculating on how the upcoming sequels will do: Tomb Raider cost $94 million to make, whereas The Ghost Dimension only cost $10 million. With these numbers taken into consideration, it’s not hard to see why Paramount and Blumhouse want another Paranormal Activity — even at their lowest-grossing, their low budgets make them huge profit-generators. The first Paranormal Activity is still one of the most profitable films ever made!
