‘Don’t Breathe’ Knocks ‘Suicide Squad’ Off Top of Box Office Charts

Horror film Don’t Breathe has scared up an impressive $26.1 million to top the North American box office chart.

The movie, from the Evil Dead remake director Fede Alvarez, was made on a budget of $10 million and centers on a group of teens whose attempt to rob the house of a blind veteran takes a nasty twist.

Don’t Breathe, which stars Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto, and Stephen Lang, received favorable reviews upon its release last weekend and it helped to draw in cinema audiences for a late summer scare.

“To more than double your production budget on opening weekend is a fantastic result,” declared Sony worldwide president of marketing and distribution Josh Greenstein. “It’s the latest in a string of low-budget movies that have been very profitable movies for Sony, including The Shallows and Sausage Party. And Fede is a master storyteller.”

Don’t Breathe‘s debut earnings were easily enough to win the box office, stealing the crown from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The supervillain ensemble movie places a distant second with $12.1 million, helping to boost its domestic take to $282.9 million in its three weeks on release.

Jason Statham’s new action film with Jessica Alba, Mechanic: Resurrection, rounds out the new top five at five, just behind Kubo and the Two Strings, which features the voices of Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron, and Seth Rogen’s animated adult comedy Sausage Party at three and four, respectively.