(Image Source: Facebook/Paramount)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

“The Devil Inside” is killing it in theaters across America. The low-budget horror pic is Hollywood’s first surprise hit of the new year -- taking in a scare-worthy $34.5 million its opening weekend. WFTV.

The flick -- featuring a cast of unknown actors -- had the advantage of being the only new movie of the weekend. But Friday, outlets were reporting it wouldn’t fare well. Here's 

“Because of the star power of Tom Cruise, movie critics believe ‘Mission Impossible’ will continue to come in the top spot.”

Unfortunately for Cruise, “The Devil Inside” cruised right by his flick and took that No. 1 spot, though “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” did well for the weekend -- its fourth -- and made $20.5 million. Paramount bought “The Devil Inside” for just $1 million, and ClevverMovies notes it more than made up for that...

“… just from the midnight release alone. It’s actually pretty rare to see a movie pay off for itself on a midnight release.”

Entertainment outlets are hailing “Devil” as the boost Hollywood needed after a disappointing 2011 -- a feat it accomplished even with bad reviews from both audiences and critics. USA Today notes …

“About 19% of audiences gave the film an F, says survey firm CinemaScore. According to … Rottentomatoes.com, only 57% of audiences said they enjoyed the movie, a low score considering that paying audiences rarely score a move below a 60%. Critics were savage: Only 7% gave the picture a thumbs-up … ”

But, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports the movie’s success means …

“Box-office sales rose 30 percent in the first full weekend of the new year, suggesting studios and theaters owners are getting off to a faster start in 2012.”

Deadline calls the flick a quote, “crapfest,” but says it was marketed well for cheap. Ads ran with like-minded shows such as AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” and the movie profited from a more modern marketing strategy. Deadline quotes a Hollywood executive, who says the devil is in the mobile details.

“The Devil Inside iPad and iPhone application served as another opportunity to scare unsuspecting fans … The application is presented as a test to find out how possessed you are, that in turn surprises fans with a scare from the film. Since its launch in late December, the app continues to see [a] 4-star rating on iTunes from a global user base.”

Paramount also spiced up midnight screenings with food trucks, DJs and prize giveaways -- and advertised about the events via Twitter. But, despite “Devil’s” success -- Entertainment Weekly says, don’t get too excited, Hollywood.

“Is this a sign of things to come in 2012? Perhaps. But it’s more likely a sign of the recent popularity of possession movies.”

“The Devil Inside” had the third biggest January opening ever, behind “Cloverfield” and a re-release of “Star Wars.”