Insidious: Chapter 2, the sequel to the popular horror film Insidious in 2010, is scaring away its competition at the box office. The film was released this past Friday and it seems that people still love to watch horror on Friday the 13th, proving to not be unlucky in this case. Insidious: Chapter 2 gives audiences another scare as the haunted Lambert family returns and seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as the parents in the family.

Insidious: Chapter 2, the low-budget horror film, debuted at No.1 with an impressive $41.1 million. The only other new film to debut this weekend was The Family, starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, which is about a mafia family attempting to hide their past and assimilate in society. The sequel ended up earning more than three times Insidious‘ opening weekend, although the original went on to gross $54 million total, according to the Los Angeles Times. The second film also attracted a young crowd, with 62% being under the age of 25. Meanwhile, Lee Daniels’ The Butler continued to make headlines in its fifth weekend, grossing $5.6 million to hit the $100 million mark at the North American box office.

Although Insidious: Chapter 2 has opened to an impressive weekend, The Conjuring still holds the record for the highest grossing horror film this year. The low-budget horror film continues to become even more popular after the success of films like Paranormal Activity and others. This film had a budget of only $5 million and it was co-financed by Sony Pictures, eOne Entertainment and FilmDistrict. FilmDistrict’s president of distribution Jim Orr said “The original Insidious generated a lot of goodwill and people wanted to see the next chapter. James Wan is an amazing director. Combine that with a Friday the 13th release date and you get this great result.”

Plenty of fans showed their support for the film over twitter as well, advising others to see the exciting new horror film.

Just, amazing. Almost a whole new genre. Nothing else like it. @InsidiousUK

— Brian Watson (@BrianWatson72) September 13, 2013

@InsidiousUK i am not turning my lights off tonight. I'd rather sleep in a lighted room after watching the stunning sequelof insidious.

— shivneel chand (@shivneelchand7) September 13, 2013

This film was not able to defeat Hotel Transylvania, which holds the record for weekend openings in September, but it did become the No. 2 September opening of all time. Hotel Transylvania, an animated comedy starring Adam Sandler, opened to $42.5 million last year. The Insidious sequel was also one of the top debuts for a supernatural horror film, mentions NBC News.

Insidious: Chapter 2 leaped out to an impressive weekend partly due to it being Friday the 13th, but it is likely to continue its success as we move into the fall season as well, when audiences love to watch horror films as we all prepare for the excitement of Halloween.

Image via Youtube