This past weekend proved to be much bigger than just about anyone expected at the box office. "Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle" led the way with a record-breaking $70 million opening. Everything else was gunning for second place. Well, technically third, given that "The Conjuring: Last Rites" ($25.6 million) landed in the number two spot following its own massive opening last week. In the case of "The Long Walk," it was a case of having to settle for a fairly distant fourth place, though that's not as bad as it may sound on the surface.

Lionsgate's "The Long Walk," which is based on the Stephen King book of the same name, opened to $11.7 million domestically. It also finished behind "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" ($18.1 million), which was admittedly going for a very different crowd. In any case, it seems like a disappointing result on the surface. But diving deeper into the numbers, it's one of those "good enough" situations that we could actually use more of in the modern marketplace.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, of "The Hunger Games" fame, this King adaptation carries a very modest budget of just $20 million before marketing. So while a sub-$12 million opening isn't exactly huge, it's fine for a very responsibly budgeted movie such as this. It also helps that "The Long Walk" has been met with stellar reviews thus far, which may help it in the weeks to come. There are also overseas grosses, which haven't yet been tallied yet, to consider.

The film takes place in a dystopian version of the United States where one boy from each state is selected to take part in an annual contest. The winner will be awarded whatever he wants. To win, they have to walk at a pace of three miles per hour without stopping. Fall below that speed, you get a warning. Get three warnings, and you're out -- dispassionately shot in the head by the military envoy traveling with the group. The cast includes Cooper Hoffman ("Saturday Night"), David Jonsson ("Alien: Romulus"), and Mark Hamill ("Star Wars").