
Paramount is doing a fairly wise thing with the sequel to its 2009 low-fi smash hit Paranormal Activity. Dolling out a handful of viral clips to horror flick sites, certainly — that’s a given. But also debuting the movie for fans that “demand” to see it first, via the movie’s web site. The top 20 cities with the highest registered online demand for the film will be invited to attend a free screening on Wednesday, October 20, before the movie’s nationwide October 22 release. Buzzy word-of-mouth from rabid fans of the first film and other genre diehards will be key in trying to deliver commercial success, since this sequel is bucking the slow-build, platform-release strategy of its surprise $108-million-grossing predecessor, which didn’t top 1,000 screens until its fourth week of in theaters, and finally hit the #1 spot at the box office in its fifth weekend frame. For the movie’s teaser trailer, click here; for more on the film, click here.