'Paranormal Activity 4' prepares to scare away the competition

The found-footage style showcased in Paranormal Activity 4 (3,412 theatres) is far from played out. In fact, the style is popping up in other horror movies, action movies (Chronicle), and epidemic movies (The Bay), to name a few examples. But when it comes to the Paranormal franchise itself, THR's Justin Lowe feels the filmmakers "seem short
on new ideas, relying more on the series’
reputation for
low-budget thrills to attract audiences." Still, "it’s unlikely
that anything will stop the first few waves of fans" from turning out through Halloween. Paramount predicts the release will end up in the high $30 million range. That would be a bit down from the third outing's $52 million opening, and more in line with Paranormal Activity 2's $40 million opening. The studio has been smart about keeping production costs low. With a reported budget of $5 million, the release will be pure gravy for the distributor.

Tyler Perry has his first starring role in a movie he did not direct in Alex Cross (2,539 theatres). He plays the eponymous character, an FBI profiler. Morgan Freeman last played Cross in Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. The crime-suspenser has the potential to attract both Perry's fans
and readers of the source material, James Patterson's novels. However, Perry's fans are most loyal to his Madea character, so that may dampen the grosses a bit. It doesn't help that FJI critic Daniel Eagan didn't feel Perry was "a comfortable fit" for the role, describing him as a "lumbering screen presence who
is better at projecting teary-eyed sincerity than brutal, vengeful
anger." Plus, the "slapdash plotting, nonsensical
action and inept pacing" could make viewing the feature more of a trial than a mindless pleasure. A number in the teen millions would be a good showing for Alex Cross.

This week's specialty pick is The Sessions (4 theatres). Charming, sweet, and gentle, the based-
on-a-true-story movie follows a man (John Hawkes) who was paralyzed by polio and lives part of the day in an iron long. After receiving the blessing of his priest (William H. Macy), he goes on a quest to lose his virginity with the help of a sexual surrogate (Helen Hunt). The film festival darling also pleased critic David Noh, who praises the movie for "possessing vast amounts of humor and humanity."

On Monday, we'll see if audiences still want to be scared by Paranormal Activity 4 and if enough viewers turned out for Alex Cross. The Sessions, an awards hopeful, may receive a nice dose of buzz if it has a strong debut.