While Friday saw only a slim separation between the two fright flicks, the three-day weekend period should show an even wider advantage for the no-budget ghost story. Last weekend, Paranormal saw its Friday take represent only 35% of the weekend gross while most Saw pics see their debut Fridays account for 40-43%.

The six-quel should be no different and it obviously took a massive hit from Paranormal which has been generating much more excitement and buzz. The last two installments in the Lionsgate series bowed to first-day grosses of $14.3M and $14.8M, respectively, on their way to more than $30M each over the weekend. Compared to the last Jigsaw pic, Saw VI suffered a disturbing 51% drop in opening day sales. Its three-day debut may end up at $16-18M making it the lowest opening weekend ever in the six-part Saw series.

On the other hand, Paranormal Activity expanded on Friday from 763 to 1,945 locations and saw its gross climb 12% from last Friday. The figure is even more impressive considering that it has already been in the marketplace in most big cities for a couple of weeks now and it is playing in 1,091 fewer theaters compared to Saw VI. Friday per-theater averages were $3,900 for Paranormal and $2,300 for Saw VI.

A brilliantly executed marketing and distribution plan is giving Paramount plenty of riches to enjoy. Plus with Halloween coming next Saturday, moviegoers will remain in the mood for a good scary movie for at least another week. A weekend take of $20-22M seems likely for Paranormal Activity allowing it to do what The Blair Witch Project couldn't - reach the number one spot at the weekend box office.

Friday's three other new wide releases attracted much less business. Universal's Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant debuted to an estimated $2.2M and should find its way to $6-7M for the weekend. The animated adventure Astro Boy collected an estimated $2M for Summit and is on a course to reach around $7M over the frame. Hilary Swank's biopic Amelia grossed an estimated $1.3M for Fox Searchlight and is heading for roughly $4M.

Among holdovers, Friday-to-Friday declines were a troubling 64% for Where the Wild Things Are, 47% for Law Abiding Citizen, and 38% for Couples Retreat.

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Check back on Sunday for the complete weekend box office report.