Not so quiet that Puss in Boots didn't break that record for a Halloween weekend with $34 million in estimated earnings since Friday.  While that is a record, it still somewhat soft for a 3D family film that's a spin-off from a very familiar and successful series.  A massive early snowstorm in the Northeast no doubt affected overall attendance this weekend, as did the conclusion of a excellent World Series and Halloween festivities from trick-or-treating to all manner of sexy costumes.

The title character voiced by Antonio Banderas, who first appeared in Shrek 2 back in 2004, became a big part of that franchise.  The last installment, Shrek Forever After dropped last year and brought in more than $70 million over its first three days.  Despite taking the Halloween record, Puss in Boots also ranks as the third-lowest opening for a computer-animated Dreamworks film, staying ahead of only Antz in 1998 and Flushed Away in 2006.  3D screenings accounted for 51% of that $34 million opening haul, with IMAX exhibitions totaling 7%.  The spin-off received generally positive reviews and seems to be inspiring solid word of mouth, so we'll see how it hold up over the next two weeks.

In second place, last weekend's big winner Paranormal Activity 3 logged an estimated $18.5 million, bringing the supernatural found-footage sequel's ten-day total to $81.3 million.  Attendance dropped by 65% from its opening last week, and though that is steep, its pretty standard for a horror film, particularly a franchise installment.  The film is set to very quickly outgross its predecessor Paranormal Activity 2, which earned a $84.8 million total in its domestic run last year.

In Time, the new science fiction actioner from Gattaca writer-director Andrew Niccol opened to a disappointing $12 million estimate, despite its hooky premise, in which transferable time has become the principal currency of a dystopian future.  That debut weekend is lower than the previous releases from stars Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, whose pretty faces adorned every poster; Timberlake's last, Friends With Benefits, opened to $18.6 million earlier this year and Seyfried's Red Riding Hood dropped to $14 million.  Unlike Puss in Boots, though, In Time was basically punched in the solar plexus by critics and has generally left audiences underwhelmed.

The last wide release of the weekend, The Rum Diary, also disappointed with a $5 million debut, despite the presence of international movie star Johnny Depp, who is once again playing an onscreen surrogate for Gonzo journalist and all-around badass Hunter S. Thompson.  Based on the first novel Thompson ever wrote, the tale of crusading journalism, heavy alcohol intake, and hallucinogen delights isn't quite as easy to market as, say, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  Like In Time, The Rum Diary wasn't terribly well-received, and doesn't look likely to hold well over the coming weeks.

Here's the list of top ten estimates for the weekend of October 28th-30th:

1. Puss in Boots                                     $34.0 million          New Release

2. Paranormal Activity 3                        $18.5 million          $81.3 million

3. In Time                                              $12.0 million          New Release

4. Footloose                                           $5.4 million            $38.4 million

5. The Rum Diary                                   $5.0 million            New Release

6. Real Steel                                           $4.7 million            $73.9 million

7. The Three Musketeers                        $3.5 million            $14.8 million

8. The Ides of March                              $2.7 million            $33.5 million

9. Moneyball                                          $2.4 million            $67.4 million

10. Courageous                                      $1.8 million            $27.6 million

The coming Friday sees the wide release of both Tower Heist and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.