The Nun Conjures Record-Breaking $54 Million Opening

Warner Bros. enjoyed another stellar weekend at the box office as the latest installment in New Line's Conjuring horror series opened with a better than expected $53.8 million. The Nun easily surpassed the previous franchise best, which was set by the original Conjuring film back in 2013. The Nun also became the second highest September opening of all time, moving ahead of Hotel Transylvania's 2015 mark of $48 million, but well behind New Line's own mega-hit It, which opened to an amazing $123 million just last year. The Nun also delivered overseas, putting $79 million into the collection plate in 60 markets. After only one weekend, the global cume of $133 million assures heavenly profits for a film that cost only $22 million to produce.

Not to be outdone, WB's other hit, Crazy Rich Asians added another $13 million over the weekend, putting the rom-com's domestic cume at about $136 million. Sneaking into second, however, STX's Peppermint debuted with a solid $13.4 million on about 3,000 screens. The film received a B+ CinemaScore, and should see enough business to cover its reported $25 million production budget. In fourth, yet another WB surprise, The Meg, caught another $6 million to bring its total to $132 million. The Meg has been an even bigger fish overseas, with $360 million and counting for a worldwide total of just under $500 million.

PageBreaks Take: With poor reviews and a so-so audience reaction, look for The Nun to drop sharply in its second weekend. Regardless of the hold, the film has already exceeded expectations for Warner Bros.

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