The Paranormal Activity franchise has been one of the most successful horror series of all time. Since the release of Oren Peli’s popular original in 2007, there have been five other installments. Overall, these have made $890 million worldwide, which is an impressive return for the genre. However, the quality of the movies has been hit or miss. The sixth installment was supposed to be the last but, because of the negative reviews, Paramount Pictures opted to attempt to end the series on a high note with a seventh offering.
One of The Most Successful Horror Franchises
The original Paranormal Activity was incredibly popular and went on to spark a hugely successful franchise. Indeed, the six films in the series so far have earned a return of 30 times the overall production budget. In addition to the movies, the legacy of the hidden camera offering has spread out into other media.
For example, Paranormal Activity: The Lost Soul is an incredibly popular Oculus Rift VR game, that has players fully immersed into the poltergeist-ridden world of the films. It seems only natural that this style of film be incorporated into this format, as it follows the path of other franchises such as The Exorcist. Furthermore, another telling indication of a film’s popularity in the modern era is whether it has been made into a slot game. The Paranormal Activity slot from iSoftBet at LeoVegas is one of the most-played options at the site. This online casino also has a bonus for new players, and anyone wanting to claim it can pop over to these guys to click the link. There are numerous other top-rated sites listed there as well.
Paranormal Activity has also had an influence on the horror industry as a whole. It has inspired other covert and handheld camera titles such as Cloverfield, Grave Encounters, and Unfriended.
Sixth Film Was Met With Negative Reviews
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension was released in 2015. During promotion for the Gregory Plotkin offering, the film was marketed as being the last in the series. However, the studio since changed its mind and has opted to release a seventh.
The Ghost Dimension was the first title in the series not to feature series star Katie Featherstone, and this could have been a mistake. The actor who played Katie was the lynchpin that held the whole series together, and things seemed lacking without her. The film was negatively reviewed, with the general consensus being that most of the thrills from the other films had been recycled.
Seventh Offering Could be Last
After having said that the sixth movie would be the last, it could be expected that the upcoming 2022 release will wrap up the series. Paramount Pictures knows that another release could easily help the overall franchise pass the $1 billion mark, but the company will also be weary of flogging a dead horse in the future. One more title could help tie up some loose ends, but there isn’t much else that could be done with the story.
Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 3 both received highly positive reviews and were successful. Unfortunately, the others never quite lived up to these offerings. The seventh movie should aim to end the series on a high, and the creators should try to surprise audiences with something new. Either way, the fact that all the films to date were made with a meagre budget of $28 million in total shows what a success this franchise has be