LOS ANGELES — "Paranormal Activity" has won a weekend battle of fright films over part six of the "Saw" franchise.

Paramount's upstart chiller "Paranormal Activity" went into nationwide release and took over the No. 1 spot with $22 million. That compares to just $14.8 million for the debut of "Saw VI," a franchise that has been an annual Halloween fixture since 2004.

It was the worst opening ever for Lionsgate's "Saw" series, whose previous low was $18.3 million for the original movie.

"Paranormal Activity" raised its total haul to $62.5 million. The low-budget movie was shot for a reported $15,000 but has become a horror sensation because of online fan buzz.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the Warner Bros. tale "Where the Wild Things Are," fell to No. 3, just behind "Saw VI" with $14.4 million. Spike Jonze's adaptation of the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak raised its total to $54 million.

Among other wide releases, Summit Entertainment's "Astro Boy" opened at No. 6 with $7 million, Universal's "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" debuted at No. 8 with $6.3 million, and Fox Searchlight's "Amelia" premiered at No. 11 with $4 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com.

1. "Paranormal Activity," $22 million.

2. "Saw VI," $14.8 million.

3. "Where the Wild Things Are," $14.4 million.

4. "Law Abiding Citizen," $12.7 million.

5. "Couples Retreat," $11.1 million.

6. "Astro Boy," $7 million.

7. "The Stepfather," $6.5 million.

8. "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," $6.3 million.

9. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $5.6 million.

10. "Zombieland," $4.3 million.