The return of the bloody Texas Chainsaw franchise sliced up movie box-office rivals with a surprise win over the weekend, grabbing an estimated $23 million (€17.6 million) in US and Canadian ticket sales.

The new Texas Chainsaw 3D pulled past Quentin Tarantino Western Django Unchained, the second place film from Friday through Sunday with $20 million (€15.3 million). Number three movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grabbed $17.5 million (€13.4 million).

Going into the weekend, box-office forecasters did not think the revival of the 40-year-old Texas Chainsaw franchise had enough buzz to top the holiday releases that are adding to their tallies during the month of January, a typically slow time for moviegoing.

Marketing efforts for Texas Chainsaw paid off for distributor Lions Gate Entertainment, the studio behind the horror franchise.

Lions Gate ran a social media campaign aimed at its core horror fan base and ran promotions during AMC Networks’ TV zombie hit The Walking Dead. The studio aimed for a broader audience with promotions during college football bowl games and other sports programmes after Christmas.

“The numbers were a little bit more than expected,” said Richie Fay, the president of domestic distribution for Lions Gate Entertainment.

“It is great to be number one. I think we held our own,” he added.

Lions Gate spent about $20 million (€15.3 million) to promote the movie, which was produced by Millennium Films.

The movie revives a franchise that started four decades ago with the 1974 film about a serial killer named Leatherface. Since then, the seven Texas Chainsaw movies have pulled in $175 million (€134 million) at North American (US and Canadian) theatres, according to website Box Office Mojo. The films have generated $416 million (€319 million) domestically.

The new movie follows a woman who inherits a family home in the town of Newt, Texas, showing all of the blood and gore in 3D. The story picked up where the original left off and included cameos from original cast members.