Insidious: The Red Door is out in theaters and, in its very first week, has risen to the top of the box office. The film grossed $31 million, which was more than enough to knock Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny off its perch atop the box office.
Not only did The Red Door's gross help it beat Indy to the top of the box office, but it also beat projections which had it opening to $25 million.
The film's production team definitely has some balls with their decision to release the film smack in the middle of two of the biggest films this summer – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. This decision could have proven disastrous. Instead, it has delivered the second-best opening of the Insidious franchise and a box office leader.
What's more impressive is the film has delivered this performance despite negative reviews from BOTH critics and audiences. A quick Google search will show that the film has a critics' approval rating of only 36% on Rotten Tomatoes and a C+ Cinema Score rating.
Even though Insidious: The Red Door had a spectacular opening this week, it will need a miracle to repeat this performance next week. If the film had a positive audience rating, it would be able to count on word of mouth to drive more legs to the theatre. Now, the reverse is likely to be the case.