Warner Bros.' adaptation of the classic children's book collected $700,000 before the sun rose Friday, a sign that largely positive reviews and nostalgia were driving interest from adults, particularly younger ones. The flipside, however, is that despite the movie's PG rating, families with children under 12 made up only 43 percent of the audience. Dramatic evidence of that trend came Saturday, when 'Wild Things' ticket sales rose only 2 percent from Friday. Most family movies see a big boost in Saturday grosses as parents take children to matinees. For 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,' for instance, the jump was 62 percent. 'With adults it's doing extremely well, and with families it's mixed depending upon the taste of the family,' said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. On the bottom line, there was little for any major studios to complain about this weekend. 'Wild Things' opened to a solid $32.5 million in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates, while overall ticket sales surged 41 percent from a year ago as 'Paranormal Activity' and 'Law Abiding Citizen' both played well. 'The box office really blew up this weekend,' said Kyle Davies, head of distribution for Overture Films, which distributed 'Law Abiding Citizen.' But coming in No. 1 on such a strong weekend may not be enough to put the backers of 'Wild Things,' which was delayed by a year for reshoots and cost about $100 million to make, at ease. A bigger family audience would provide increased confidence that the movie is on its way to hit status, since pictures successful with families tend to decline much slower after their openings than ones popular with young adults. Despite that, Warner targeted a significant chunk of its marketing at those over 18, apparently accepting the view held by many critics that director Spike Jonze's adaptation is too morose for those the same age as its protagonist. Warner Bros. paid for 25 percent of the film, while Village Roadshow Pictures covered 50 percent and Legendary Pictures the balance. The financiers benefited from foreign tax incentives that brought the movie's net cost down to $80 million. Those who saw the movie gave it a strong average grade of B-plus, according to market research company CinemaScore, indicating it should have good buzz. Depending on how quickly it declines, 'Wild Things' could up with a disappointing domestic gross of around $70 million or be a success with $100 million or more. 'We're thrilled at our No. 1 opening on such a busy weekend,' Fellman said. 'It's going to take another week until we figure it all out.' There's no reason for hesitation at Paramount Pictures, which saw its low-budget horror flick 'Paranormal Activity' continue to excel, grossing $20.2 million and landing at No. 3 for the weekend despite playing at far fewer theaters than any other movie in the top 10. After four weeks, the first two of which it played only midnight shows in a small number of cities, 'Paranormal' has collected $33.7 million. It will expand to more than 1,800 locations Friday, potentially creating problems for Lionsgate's horror movie 'Saw VI,' which launches the same day. Coming in just ahead of 'Paranormal' this weekend was 'Law Abiding Citizen.' The thriller distributed by Overture Films for financier The Film Department grossed $21.3 million, a good start given its $50 million production budget. Despite polling that indicated it would play primarily to older males, audiences were diverse, which helped to give the movie better-than-expected commercial traction. Sony Pictures executives were concerned about the fate of horror film 'The Stepfather,' with 'Paranormal Activity' taking much of the interest in the genre this weekend, but it ended up with a decent $12.3 million. The remake from the studio's Screen Gems label cost just under $20 million to produce. In limited release domestically, Focus Features' 'A Serious Man' and Sony Pictures Classics' 'An Education' both stayed strong as they expanded this weekend, collecting $860,257 at 82 theaters and $266,044 at 19, respectively. However, Apparition's blaxploitation comedy 'Black Dynamite' opened to only $140,986 at 70 locations. Vivendi Entertainment did only slightly better with the anthology 'New York, I Love You,' which collected $380,000 from 119 theaters in its debut. 