The Nun 2 made $3.1M last night at 3,200 locations.
New Line’s Conjuring universe sequel, though expected to open lower than the original movie’s franchise record breaker of $53.8M, will keep what’s been a summer clock going with a projected $30M+ start.
The first Nun back in 2018 made $5.4M previews before booming to a $22M first Friday. There was a lot of walk-up business from Latino and Hispanic moviegoers, and a similar halo could occur here with the sequel. Michael Chaves, the director of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and The Curse of La Llorona, takes over helming here on The Nun 2 from Corin Hardy.
Critics like the sequel a bit more than the first installment, 51% to 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sour reviews never cursed the Nun‘s business at the box office.
The Nun 2 returns Warners back to the post Labor Day horror frame they made golden with the first It back in 2017 with a $123.4M. Last September at this time, New Line was scheduled to release the feature take of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, but they pushed that indefinitely on the release schedule.
Also previewing last night, and opening this weekend, is Focus Features’ My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 at 2,500 theaters which made $550K. Critics loathe the threequel as much as the sequel at 27% Rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. The first movie back in 2002–still a box office anomaly that started as a weeks on end limited release before it finally found a massive audience grossing $241.4M–was embraced by critics at 76% positive.
Nia Vardalos, who has written the franchise, finally takes over here as director. Pic is expected to open to the mid-to-high single digits. The sequel arrived 14 years after the original and managed to open to $17.8M and final at $59.6M domestic.
Sony’s The Equalizer 3 ends its first week with $49.7M, which is higher than the first week of the first film ($45.4M), but 1% behind Equalizer 2. The first Equalizer had a 45% ease in weekend 2, while Equalizer 2 declined -61%.