Moviegoers were looking for a fright this weekend and they got it with The Nun, which took the top-spot and nabbed a franchise-best opening for The Conjuring universe.
The Nun grossed an estimated $53.5 million over the weekend and crushed the previous top opening of the franchise, The Conjuring, which grossed $41.8 million. The debut is the second largest opening of all-time for the month of September as it topped the $48.4 million debut of Hotel Transylvania 2. The top earner for September is another horror title as It opened to a massive $123.4 million last year. The Nun can also claim the second largest opening for an R-rated film behind that horror film as well.
The Nun also scored internationally with an opening of $77.5 million from overseas markets. This made for a $131 million global debut and for a film that cost only $22 million to make, don’t be surprised to hear that The Nun 2 is on its way. Also a fun fact, Warner Bros. has held the number one spot at the box office for the fifth straight weekend. The streak started with The Meg and was followed by three straight weekends for Crazy Rich Asians and now The Nun. I’m sure the champagne is being popped over at the studio.
Crazy Rich Asians fell to second with an estimated $13.6 million. The film saw its largest decline at 38.1% but that’s also a solid hold for a film in its fourth weekend. The August hit has now grossed $136.2 million to date and is going to try to take down the $164 million gross of The Proposal to be the top romantic comedy in the last 9 years.
Debuting in third is Peppermint with an estimated $13.2 million. The film received a “B+” CinemaScore and opened decently despite negative reviews from critics. The film opened ahead of the similarly themed Death Wish remake and a shade behind the $14.4 million opening of John Wick. The film cost $25 million to make and I honestly think this will be a solid investment once it ends its run and then makes a quick buck on home video.
Dropping to fourth is The Meg with an estimated $6 million. The film brings its domestic total to $131.5 million which puts it a tad beyond its $130 million production budget. What’s making The Meg a big winner is its overseas performance which has brought its worldwide total to just shy of $492 million.
Rounding out the top five is Searching with $4.5 million. The film dropped a slim 26% which shows that there is some word of mouth helping the film find an audience. The film was expanded further this weekend and may see another expansion to help boost box office. The film has grossed $14.3 million to date.
Check out the full top ten results below:
| Film | Total | % Change | Gross to Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onward | $10,601,952 | -72.9% | $60.3 |
| Bloodshot | $9,176,695 | NEW | $9.17 |
| I Still Believe | $9,103,614 | NEW | $9.10 |
| The Invisible Man | $5,890,805 | -61.1% | $64.3 |
| The Hunt | $5,304,455 | NEW | $5.3 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | $2,522,584 | -67.3% | $145.7 |
| The Way Back | $2,356,115 | -71.2% | $13.3 |
| The Call of the Wild | $2,226,720 | -67.1% | $62 |
| Emma. | $1,295,215 | -73% | $9.9 |
| Bad Boys for Life | $1,102,208 | -63.5% | $204.2 |
