Movie

The ninth installment in the highest-grossing horror franchise 'The Conjuring', the Taissa Farmiga-starring film kicks off the fall box office with a pleasing opening number.

• Sep 11, 2023

AceShowbiz - "The Conjuring" franchise brings the scare at the start of the fall box office. Kicking off the warm season, "The Nun II" launched to an estimated $32.6 million domestically from 3,726 theaters to top the North American chart.

With the strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA prohibiting actors and writers from promoting films, the horror film still earned a respectable number despite bad reviews. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 89 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads, "Scarier than its predecessor, 'The Nun II' makes for an entertaining addition to the Conjuring franchise despite not being the most original horror sequel."

Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 64% overall positive score, with 47% saying they would definitely recommend the film.

"To have a horror universe is really powerful in terms of the revenue-generating potential," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "It's a great bet that (Warner Bros.) made on the horror moviegoing experience never waning."

"The Nun II" is the ninth installment in "The Conjuring" Universe franchise. It came five years since the first "The Nun" film that opened to $53.8 million domestically.

"The Conjuring" is the highest-grossing horror franchise ever with more than $2 billion worldwide. "The Nun" sequel launched to a rousing $52.7 million from 69 markets internationally for a current worldwide total of $85.3 million. It's expected to turn a tidy profit for New Line with a reported budget of $22 million to make.

"The Nun II" subsequently takes down former champion "The Equalizer 3". Losing its steam after an excellent debut, the vigilante action film starring Denzel Washington drops to the runner-up position with an estimated $12.1 million in its second weekend.

Trailing close behind is new release "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3", which makes it entry at No. 3 with approximately $10 million. It arrives 21 years after the first film became a massive sleeper hit by earning $369 million against a $5 million production budget.

Indian revenge thriller "Jawan", starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, debuts at No. 4 with approximately $6.2 million. "Barbie" falls from No. 2 to No. 5 with additional $5.9 million following its release on demand on Tuesday, September 5.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Sep. 08-11, 2023):

1. "The Nun II" - $32.6 million
2. "The Equalizer 3" - $12.1 million
3. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3" - $10 million
4. "Jawan" - $6.2 million
5. "Barbie" - $5.9 million
6. "Blue Beetle" - $3.8 million
7. "Gran Turismo" - $3.4 million
8. "Oppenheimer" - $3 million
9. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" - $2.6 million
10. "Bottoms" - $2.1 million