Universal's 'Couples Retreat' collected more money than the four new movies that opened on the same weekend last year combined, helping to drive domestic ticket sales up 8.9 percent, according to Hollywood.com. The romantic comedy starring Vince Vaughn sold a studio-estimated $35.3 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada, a strong start given that its production budget was just more than $70 million, according to a person involved in the film (a studio spokesman said it was around $60 million). 'Couples Retreat' is the first strong domestic opening for Universal since 'Fast and Furious' in April. The studio has seen a string of disappointments, including 'State of Play' and 'Land of the Lost.' That weak performance contributed to the ousting on Monday of Chairmen David Linde and Marc Shmuger. In a bit of Hollywood irony, a film produced and marketed under their watch turned out to be a hit just days after they left. The movie was aggressively marketed by Universal, taking advantage of the wide-open weekend and a dearth of romantic comedies in the market. Despite negative reviews, audience gave 'Couples Retreat' a B, according to market research company CinemaScore, and ticket sales rose from Friday to Saturday, a sign of good buzz that signals the movie ultimately could gross more than $100 million domestically. Costly marketing wasn't the driver of Paramount's stealth hit 'Paranormal Activity,' which set a record for the highest weekend gross for a film playing at fewer than 200 theaters. The studio has spent only about $2 million on advertising, relying instead on Internet buzz and word of mouth that started in college markets where the movie debuted two weeks ago. The movie has also benefited from promotion on radio stations, where Paramount has given away tickets, and on the studio's corporate sibling MTV cable networks. The low-budget horror film sold $7.1 million worth of tickets this weekend, averaging $44,162 at 160 theaters. This was the first weekend it didn't play only at midnight shows, demonstrating broader appeal than the late-night horror crowd, although later shows continued to be the strongest. Paramount will expand 'Paranormal Activity' to several hundred more theaters over the next two weeks. 