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Shalimar Sahota: Typical result. The last decade has already seen a remake and a prequel, so I didn't really think audiences would want more of the same. For a horror film starring no one I've really heard of I'd say it's a decent enough opening based mainly on brand recognition and the 3D ticket price. Given the low production cost, if they can make them that cheap then we're sure to see more.

Max Braden: Wait, wasn't the 2003 Jessica Biel Massacre the reboot of this series? Or was it the 2006 Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning? How many reboots is a non-comic book franchise allowed to have? I find this opening shockingly high considering that although I knew it was on the calendar, I never saw a single advertisement for the movie. I'm further shocked that it won the weekend and beat out Django Unchained. Maybe the target demo for Chainsaw is too young to know who Quentin Tarantino is. TC3D's opening is decent, I guess, though I don't expect it to go on to outgross (ha) Biel's $80 million. It should have a shot at beating The Beginning's paltry $40 million.

David Mumpower: Adding some data to Max’s point, Jessica Biel’s version debuted to $28.1 million in 2003, the equivalent of a $37 million opening today. The 2006 version grossed $18.5 million on opening weekend, which is $22.4 million at 2013 ticket pricing. So Texas Chainsaw 3D sold fewer tickets than either of the previous two attempts to reboot the franchise. It also cost more than the previous two to produce. Diminishing returns relative to financial outlay are an issue.

Kim Hollis: Promised Land, a film co-written by and co-starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, expanded into 1,676 locations this weekend, earning $4.3 million. How surprised are you by its modest $2,573 per location average?

Bruce Hall: Not very. Imagine you're John (or Jane) Q. Public and you want to take your family, your significant other, or yourself to a movie this weekend. A horror flick is a great way to kill a few hours, and with all the press Django Unchained and Les Miserables have been getting, the second week of release is a good time to pull the trigger on something you've been unsure about. Or maybe you're one of the handfuls of people who haven't seen the Hobbit yet?

What would you do? Nine movies enjoyed a higher per screen average this weekend, and I could give you a reason to see each of them before I got to the Matt Damon drama about the controversial mining technique named after the naughtiest word you can say aboard the Battlestar Galactica.

I don't mean to sound cynical, or even to comment on the quality of the film. I just can't imagine many people making this their choice, even on a historically slow weekend like this one.

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