October 11, 2009 Mirroring the release schedule of "The Blair Witch Project" 10 years ago, it's just been announced that Paramount's "Paranormal Activity" will open nationwide on October 16. Box office numbers released today indicate the film is doing "Blair Witch"-like business at the small number of films it is playing at.

Reports the L.A. Times:

This weekend was a big test for the mainstream appeal of ultra-low-budget horror movie "Paranormal Activity" as Paramount expanded it beyond midnight shows to play at all hours of the day in 160 theaters. Word-of-mouth and a marketing campaign that focused on Internet buzz paid off handsomely -- "Paranormal" averaged a phenomenal $44,162 at each theater. That puts it in a virtual tie with with "Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds," a concert film that played only on pricier 3-D screens, for the highest per-theater average of all time for a movie playing at more than 100 locations.

"Blair Witch" also opened at a small number of theaters, generating buzz before going nationwide and making $100 million plus.

"Paranormal Activity," if you haven't had a chance to see it, happens to be the best horror movie of the year -- and, like "Blair Witch", is a "true" documentary.

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