'The Devil Inside' Has a Low Budget but a Big Take January 8, 2012, 12:30 pm An ultra-low budget, ultra-poorly reviewed horror movie, "The Devil Inside," kicked Tom Cruise out of the top slot at the North American box office over the weekend. "The Devil Inside," acquired by Paramount Pictures for $1 million, was a strong No. 1, taking in an estimated $34.5 million, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box office data. That surprisingly robust result, attributed largely to an aggressive online marketing campaign, reinforces Paramount's status as the current kingpin of the horror genre, which has sagged of late with the exception of the studio's "Paranormal Activity" franchise. But don't expect "The Devil Inside" to have a long life in theaters: Buzz quickly turned negative over the weekend, with the exit polling company CinemaScore giving the film an F grade. Mr. Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (Paramount) was second with about $20.5 million in ticket sales, lifting its four-week total to $170.2 million, while "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (Warner Brothers) was third, taking in about $14 million for a four-week total of $157.4 million. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (Sony Pictures Entertainment) chugged along in fourth place, selling roughly $11.3 million in tickets for a three-week total of $76.8 million; among the top-performing films, "Dragon Tattoo" had the best hold on its business from weekend to weekend. Fifth place went to "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" (20th Century Fox), which took in about $9.5 million for a four-week total of $111.6 million.