'Paranormal Activity 3' tops Aussie box office

Paranormal Activity 3 has topped the Australian box office in its first week at the cinema.

The third instalment of the horror movie, which generated almost $3 million in ticket sales, knocks last week's number one, Hugh Jackman action film Real Steel, down to third position.

Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow thriller Contagion leaps into the list in second place after generating $1,584,197 in ticket sales. Another new entry, Midnight In Paris, takes fourth spot after making just over $1 million at the cinema box office.

Other movies featured in the top ten are The Three Musketeers, Crazy, Stupid, Love and Australian-made racing movie The Cup, based on the true story of a jockey who won the Melbourne Cup sporting event despite the death of his brother that same week.

Red Dog, which tells the tale of a homeless kelpie roaming the Outback looking for its true owner, finally dropped out of the top ten this week after appearing consistently since its August release.

The box office top ten in full (figures in Australian dollars):

1. (-) Paranormal Activity 3 - $2,927,339
2. (-) Contagion - $1,584,197
3. (1) Real Steel - $1,088,066
4. (-) Midnight in Paris - $1,021,944
5. (-) The Three Musketeers 3D - $901,078
6. (2) Crazy, Stupid, Love - $642,495
7. (4) The Cup - $502,898
8. (3) What's Your Number? - $443,807
9. (6) Footloose - $299,615
10. (5) The Smurfs - $209,048

Watch the trailer for Paranormal Activity 3 below (contains disturbing images):