Last Exorcism '' -LRB- $ 41 million -RRB- , and 2011 ′ s `` Insidious '' -LRB- $ 54 million -RRB- have all proven lucrative thanks to their tiny budgets . `` Insidious , '' for example , cost just $ 1.5 million to make . Of course , the `` Paranormal Activity '' movies -LRB- the fourth of which was just announced this week -RRB- are the biggest success stories of this whole trend . A total of $ 8 million has been spent making the three `` found footage '' movies , yet they have earned $ 296.7 million domestically . Paramount marketed `` The Devil Inside '' in much the same way the studio markets the `` Paranormal '' films . Commercials included ample shots of audiences screaming at the screen , and viewers were encouraged to use social media to chat up the film with the `` Tweet Your Scream '' campaign . Indeed , all the promotional costs -- certainly a much higher number than the budget -- helped `` The Devil Inside '' achieve a stellar debut , but where does it go from here ? Well , it falls . Fast . Due
-LRB- EW.com -RRB- -- The 2012 box office got off to a fine start this weekend , as Paramount 's `` found footage '' -LRB- riiiight ... -RRB- horror movie `` The Devil Inside , '' which the studio acquired for just under $ 1 million , earned a tremendous $ 34.5 million in its first three days , becoming the first breakout box office star since `` The Lion King 3D . '' In fact , the strong debut marks the third-best January opening of all time behind `` Cloverfield '' -LRB- $ 40.1 million -RRB- and a re-release of `` Star Wars '' -LRB- $ 35.9 million -RRB- . Is this a sign of things to come in 2012 ? Perhaps . But it 's more likely a sign of the recent popularity of possession movies . Demonic tales have made a mini-comeback in the last few years -- starting with the success of 2005 ′ s `` The Exorcism of Emily Rose , '' which earned $ 75.1 million domestically . Since then , similar titles like 2009 ′ s `` The Haunting in Connecticut '' -LRB- $ 55.4 million -RRB- , 2010 ′ s `` The