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Kim Hollis: Ouija, a movie based on, er, the Hasbro game, earned $19.9 million this weekend. What do you think of this result?

Matthew Huntley: I find this figure impressive because marketing campaign for Ouija was rather quiet, at least from the media I've watched, and therefore the movie was probably able to generate an audience based on its catchy premise and the time-of-year alone, without a whole lot being spent on TV ads, etc. Additionally, like most horror movies these days, it was extremely cheap to make (OK, $5 million isn't cheap to you and me, but it is for a movie studio). Granted, it will be all but gone in eight or nine days, but it will still give Universal some extra spending money for the future. We've seen this trend time and again when it comes to the horror genre, but as long as little movies like this keep showing a profit, we'll keep seeing them appear atop the box office.

Felix Quinonez: I think this is a great result. Sure, this movie will be forgotten in less than two weeks but because it has a low budget, it will see a nice profit. And I think it really goes to show that a smart release date can help. People love to be scared and this movie served that purpose. (Or at least fooled enough people into thinking it would.)

Bruce Hall: It's not much worse than Battleship, which tried to slip in under the radar right before the 2012 blockbuster season and was rewarded with an embarrassing $25 million opening weekend.

Of course the primary difference is, that film came with Liam Neeson's Very Particular Set of Skills and an inexplicably massive $200 million budget. If the person who sold Battleship as a potential franchise starter isn't in an institution getting pumped full of soul-killing drugs, they should be.

On the other hand, Ouija comes with comparatively modest expectations. It cost the same amount of money that Liam Neeson probably keeps under his bed, and stars nobody you need concern yourself with. And, it is based on a board game almost nobody plays.

With that in mind, consider that primary counter-programming for the weekend was as follows:

- A Brad Pitt movie that has already had its best weekend.

- A typically niche Bill Murray film.

- Something with Keanu Reeves in it.

So naturally, the movie about that board game you didn't even know they still made came out the winner. The numbers say this is a big success. So, I guess everyone who laughed at and mercilessly mocked this movie when it was first announced can consider themselves officially rebuked.

Enjoy your rebuking, other people who I am totally not one of.

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