Shot on a very low budget and purchased by Paramount for a reported $1 million, The Devil Inside is already on track to be one of the most profitable movies of the year. Over the weekend, The Devil Inside shocked Hollywood by raking in an incredible $34.5 million. While The Devil Inside faced little new competition at the box office, it did have to beat out a very strong Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.Here’s the more shocking thing about The Devil Inside. The movie has gotten overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics and fans alike. With avoiding going into actual details on what happens, let’s just say that the movie ends suddenly. Many viewers have expressed dissatisfaction that they felt like the movie didn’t really have an ending, but instead referred people to go online to TheRossiFiles.com at the end. With movie ticket prices what they are now-a-days, the idea of having to go online for a conclusion has been a source of infuriation for many.The Devil Inside accomplished the rare feat of getting a “F” from CinemaScore, which according to Deadline, Paramount defended by saying people either love it or hate it. Whether people really do either love it or hate it, there’s no denying The Devil Inside is raking in the cash, which has many in Hollywood puzzled. Why is The Devil Inside succeeding at the box office? How did it topple a Tom Cruise movie that had very positive reviews?Could the success of The Devil Inside signal an overall desire among moviegoers for more horror movies at the box office? Or are moviegoers just enamored with the found footage movie format? Or is the success of the film a testament to Paramount’s viral marketing campaign? Could it even be that the angry audience reaction is actually driving people to have to go for themselves to see what all the fuss is about?Regardless of what the answer is, Hollywood likes making money, so expect to see a lot more low-budget found-footage horror films with abrupt endings that direct moviegoers online. It could signal a new trend in movie making, or then again, it might turn out to be one of those things that only works one time.
