Paranormal Activity's confounding popularity: 3 theories

The fourth entry in the horror franchise scared up more than six times its budget in box-office dollars — and two more sequels are already on the way

Paranormal Activity
(Image credit: Facebook/Paranormal Activity)

If the box-office success of Paranormal Activity 4 is any indication, the horror franchise will continue to haunt movie theaters for the foreseeable future. Though its overall gross was down from its predecessor, last weekend's Paranormal Activity 4 was the No. 1 film at the box office. Paramount, the studio behind the franchise, is already working on the all-but-inevitable Paranormal Activity 5, as well as producing a spin-off of the series — teased in a post-credits sequence at the end of Paranormal Activity 4 — which will be aimed at the Latino market, reports Deadline. In just three years, the four Paranormal Activity films have earned over $650 million at the worldwide box office, with each entry's production budget costing less than $10 million. How did the Paranormal Activity franchise become such a surefire hit for Paramount? Here, three theories:

1. It aims low, and hits the mark

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