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Edwin Davies: I think that this demonstrates two things; that Paramount Pictures had a really strong understanding of the appeal of the original film - the almost-underground mystique of people demanding to see the film and building it up - which led them to rather shrewdly choose not to beat everyone over the head with the advertising and keep it all fairly subtle; and that Oren Peli (the writer-director of the first film and the writer-producer of the second) was smart enough not to mess with the basic formula for the sequel, offering up what people liked about the first film whilst also introducing elements (a new conceit to explain the multi-cameras cameras, a baby and a fwuffy puppy!) that made it seem fresh.

It also helps that there doesn't seem to have been that much of a drop in quality between the two films as there was between, to make the comparison that a lot of people have been making, The Blair Witch Project and its ill-fated sequel. Paranormal Activity 2 (or Paranormal 2 Activity, as it has been styled on some of the promotional material) currently stands at 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, in comparison to 82% for the first one, so people wouldn't have gone in thinking that they were going to see some crappy cash-in, but a pretty decent follow-up to a popular first installment.

David Mumpower: In addition to Edwin's excellent points, I would add that Paramount did something else rare here in allowing Peli to control the process a bit. The standard play here is to pay for the rights to the hot new idea then cut the amateur out of the loop. That was certainly what was done with The Blair Witch Project, which is why the second film eliminated any immediate hope of a franchise. Saw isn't directly applicable since it was a product of the studio system from the start (not counting the short). In addition to keeping Peli's ideas, the sequel also featured the return of the stars of the original, two people who have roughly as much acting experience as you, the reader, do. Rather than move away from what worked, they reinforced those themes with a moderate expansion. This was a rare case of movie-making discretion/common sense and the end result is scintillating box office.

Next year: Paranormal Activity 3D

Kim Hollis: Do you expect this spectacular opening weekend to be the high point of the Paranormal Activity franchise, or do you think it a) has room to grow or b) peaked somewhere during the first film's release?

Josh Spiegel: My guess is that this opening weekend is the peak. There was clearly a lot of excitement, hype, and demand for the sequel, but I've read some mixed reviews online from people (non-critics, I mean) who were not fans of the film or, at the very least, the resolution. Now, granted, I don't think the Saw films have been widely beloved, and yet next weekend, the SEVENTH film in that franchise is being released. It seems clear that Paranormal Activity will have a better and longer shelf life than the Blair Witch films, but I don't know how long-lasting it will be.

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