The fall box office was off to a strong start, with Warner Bros and New Line’s The Nun II scaring away the competition and earning a pleasing $326 million domestically from 3,726 theatres.
The film attracted a large audience of moviegoers aged 18 to 34, making up 67% of ticket buyers, and skewed slightly female at 52%.
In 2018, the first The Nun film had a successful opening, grossing $538 million domestically and $365.6 million worldwide. This made it the highest-grossing film in The Conjuring horror franchise.
Although the sequel’s domestic opening fell slightly behind the first film’s debut, it’s still performing well. The overall domestic revenue for the weekend reached an estimated $889 million, a significant 118% increase compared to the same weekend last year.
The Nun II had a strong start on the international front, earning $527 million from 69 markets, including a massive horror opening in Mexico with $89 million. With a reported production budget of $22 million, the sequel is expected to turn a tidy profit for New Line, having already earned $853 million worldwide in just a few days.
Set in 1956, the horror film features Taissa Farmiga, the real-life sister of Conjuring star Vera Farmiga, reprising her role as Sister Irene. Also returning to the cast is Jonas Bloquet, with Storm Reid joining as a young nun.
The film received a C CinemaScore from audiences, which is not unusual for a horror film, as the first The Nun film also received a C grade. The film was directed by Michael Chaves, who previously directed other films in The Conjuring franchise.
