Box office

MAN IN A BOX…OFFICE: Paranormal Activity 3 opened with an estimated $54 million, running away with the weekend box office, besting its predecessor’s $40.7 million to score take the top opening ever for a pure horror movie and topping last year's Jackass 3-D to establish a new record for the highest fall opening ever (September and October), according to Box Office Mojo. The Paramount film averaged $16,266 on 3,321 screens. The week’s other debuts, however, stunk up the joint. Summit’s expensive 3-D version of The Three Musketeers grossed a disappointing $8.8 million ($2,917; 3,017) to come in at #4, and Universal’s Rowan Atkinson-starring comedy Johnny English Reborn, a hit overseas, bombed, taking in just $3.8 million ($2,448; 1,552), putting it at #8. In its third weekend, two-time leader Real Steel (Buena Vista) hung around at #2 with an estimated $11.3 million ($3,317 average in 3,412 theaters), while Footloose (Paramount) took the third spot with $10.9 million ($3,052; 3,555 screens) in week two. Rounding out the top five was George Clooney’s political thriller The Ides of March (Sony) with $4.9 million ($2,400; 2,042). (10/24a)