Friday Box Office – SINISTER Leads Crazy-Crowded Friday Field; ARGO Opens with $5.9 Million while HERE COMES THE BOOM Fails to Bring It

Five, count ‘em, five new releases entered the box office race on Friday, though it looks like none of them will be able to unseat Taken 2 by the time weekend estimates are out. First on Friday was Sinister with an estimated $7.5 million from 2,527 runs. With Paranormal Activity 4 waiting in the wings, the R-rated horror movie barely registered a week ago; but with a scary-effective marketing campaign and well-attended late shows, Sinister took the lead on its first day out. By Sunday, however, Sinister should fall behind Taken 2 and Argo. The well-reviewed feature from director Ben Affleck placed third with an estimated $5.9 million from 3,232 runs on Friday and is expected to get close to $20 million by weekend’s end. Among wide releases, Here Comes the Boom had the most trouble. Opening in 3,014 locations, the comedy placed fifth with an estimated $3.6 million. The final two players in Friday’s box office crush fell below the top five. CBS Films’ Seven Psychopaths earned an estimated $1.4 million for ninth place from 1,480 locations while Atlas Shrugged: Part II, in a head-scratching 1,012 runs, failed to crack  $1 million.