People love their horror, as recently evidenced by Netflix revealing that the most devoured content on their streaming service is mostly horror properties. People just can't get enough of getting the heebie-jeebies and that pattern continues this weekend. The Conjuring 2 is finally out in theaters this weekend, and with all the nightmares it gives to its audience also comes a lot of money. It's still early in the weekend, but early tracking shows that the horror sequel is currently the number one movie of the weekend with $33-$37 million domestically.
These numbers come from the Hollywood Reporter, who write that though estimates vary, The Conjuring 2 has brought in around $37 million so far. It's estimated that it made $3.4 million on Thursday night, surpassing the $3.3 million made by The Conjuring in 2013. The Conjuring 2 had a budget of $40 million, so it seems pretty likely that it will surpass that number with some extra by the end of the weekend. Similarly, the first Conjuring debuted with $41.8 million domestically on its first weekend. Directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, The Conjuring 2 is shaping up to be a hit for the summer.
It's harder to say the same for its competition. Warcraft also debuted this weekend, with its total varying anywhere from $25-$35 million. Those numbers are probably unsatisfying to Legendary and Universal, who made the film with a budget of $160 million. The film took home $3.1 million on Thursday night previews. Don't call the film a flop yet, though. While it so far hasn't found a strong audience domestically, the film is doing pretty well overseas. It made a record-breaking $92 million in China on Wednesday and Thursday before breaking the $100 million gap on Friday. It's also estimated to make $75 million in other foreign markets. While the film hasn't been doing well critically, looks the Duncan Jones-directed fantasy will live on to fight another day.
Finally, the other big film to come out this weekend was another sequel, Now You See Me 2. The magic caper has so far made a total of $24-$26 million for the weekend, having made $8-$9 million on Friday. That puts it closer in league to Warcraft, but the weekend is still young. The first Now You See Me made $351.7 globally, so a similar number might be expected for the sequel. A third film is supposedly already in development, so everyone seems pretty confident for this one. Now You See Me 2 is directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Lizzy Caplan, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, and Daniel Radcliffe
No big winners yet, but I would have to put my money on The Conjuring 2. It's the most favorably reviewed movie of the weekend and a lot of people loved the first one. Who do you think will take home the gold for the weekend and which movie are you planning to see? Sound off in the comments below and check back with CinemaBlend to find out who wins the weekend.
