"The Devil Inside" scared off competition at the box office over the weekend to rake in $34.5 million.
 
The low-budget project, about exorcists trying to free a woman possessed by evil spirits, bumped Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" from last week's top spot.
 
The action film dropped to second place with takings of $20.5 million, while mystery movie "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" is at three with $14.1 million.
 
"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" earned $11.4 million to land fourth place and family film "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" rounded out the top five with $9.5 million.