As predicted, The Conjuring 2 scared off all competition at the box office this weekend – debuting with a strong $40.4 million, nearly matching to the former’s $41.9 million results in 2013.
The horror thriller, starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as husband-wife team of paranormal investigators, received an A-minus CinemaScore from moviegoers and a 75 percent “fresh” score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
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“It starts with a really good movie,” said Jeff Goldstein, distribution executive vice president at Warner Bros., new Line’s corporate cousin. “Then you take an outstanding director like James Wan, returning to a genre that he just owns, and match it with a perfect release date and you blaze a new trail.”
The weekend’s other new wide releases were Warcraft and Now You See Me 2, which came in second and third place, respectively.
Directed by Duncan Jones, Warcraft debuted with $24.4 million domestically and $261.7 million internationally. It received a 27 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a B-plus CinemaScore from moviegoers.
The movie’s international success “is a big deal. It’s been tough for the North American box office to embrace video-game movies,” said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. In a comScore survey, 29 percent of the domestic audience described themselves as “heavy gamers,” he added, and it’s “tough to get them to have a positive response.”
Lionsgate’s Now You See Me 2, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson as magicians, debuted with $23 million – lower than it’s predecessor in 2013 ($29.4 million). Moviegoers gave the film an A-minus CinemaScore, while critics gave it a 36 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Dergarabedian explained that, while sequels have run into “a bit of audience resistance as of late, you have to say that Conjuring 2 and Now You See Me 2 show that there’s not an inherent bias against second installments.”
Rounding out the top five is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows falling in fourth place with $14.8 million, followed by X-Men: Apocalypse with a $10 million box office finish. The latest Mutant Ninja Turtles has accumulated a domestic total of $61 million since its release two weeks ago, while the newest X-Men film has produced $136.4 million in three weeks.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: June 10-12
- The Conjuring 2 — $40.4 million
- Warcraft — $24.4 million
- Now You See Me 2 — $23 million
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows — $14.8 million
- X-Men: Apocalypse — $10 million
- Me Before You — $9.2 million
- The Angry Birds Movie — $6.7 million
- Alice Through The Looking Glass — $5.5 million
- Captain America: Civil War — $4.3 million
- The Jungle Book — $2.7 million
