Misadventures in baby-sitting

Best picture Oscar nominees that are still in theaters will almost certainly get a bump at the box office, but none will be enough to knock off the new version of “When a Stranger Calls” that arrives in theaters today. In honor of the creepy caller who torments the baby-sitter with the ominous question “Have you checked the children?” we offer a small sampling of movies (but no sequels) that in some way involve the perils of child-care.

*--* Movie Domestic gross (Year released) (In millions) “The Hand That Rocks $88.0 the Cradle” (‘92) “Halloween” (‘78) 47.0 “Adventures in 34.4 Babysitting” (‘87) “Child’s Play” (‘88) 33.2 “Don’t Tell Mom the 25.2 Babysitter’s Dead” (‘91) “When a Stranger 20.1 Calls” (‘79)

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