The low-budget indie horror, Hokum, carved out an impressive opening weekend with an estimated $6.4M, proving once again that original genre fare can still break through in a marketplace dominated by franchises and sequels.

May has arrived, and with it comes the unofficial start of the summer movie season – that stretch of the calendar when studios roll out their biggest crowd-pleasers, breakout originals, and box office hopefuls. Think of May as the appetizer before the summer blockbuster feast fully begins, and this year’s season is already off to a...