'The Nun 2' scares up $32.6 million at the box office, takes down 'Equalizer 3' for No. 1

Like many horrors before it, bad reviews didn't scare off moviegoers from buying tickets for "The Nun II." The sequel to the 2018 hit topped the box office in its first weekend in North American theaters, earning an estimated $32.6 million.

USA TODAY's Brian Truitt called it "a major improvement on the first 'Nun' " but ranked it fifth of the nine "Conjuring" movies, and audiences gave it a C+ on CinemaScore. It hardly matters: Horror is perhaps the most reliably critic-proof genre, at least when it comes to opening weekend.

The Michael Graves-directed sequel starring Taissa Farmiga and Storm Reid fell far short of the debut for the first film ($53.8 million), but it's still a solid launch. "The Nun" movies are part of the so-called "Conjuring" universe, which has $2.1 billion in box office. The sequel also played well internationally, picking up $52.7 million from 69 markets (Mexico being the strongest with $8.9 million) and boosting its global debut to $85.3 million.

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"To have a horror universe is really powerful in terms of the revenue-generating potential," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "It's a great bet that (Warner Bros.) made on the horror moviegoing experience never waning."

And there are many more scary movies on the calendar through the fall including "Saw X" on Sept. 29 and "The Exorcist: Believer" on Oct. 6.

"The Nun II" bumped Denzel Washington's "Equalizer 3" to second place in its second weekend. "Equalizer" added $12.1 million, bringing its domestic grosses to $61.9 million and its worldwide earnings to $107.7 million.

Third place went to another new film: The third installment of Nia Vardalos's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which arrives 21 years after the first film became a massive sleeper hit earning $369 million against a $5 million production budget. The third film earned an estimated $10 million, overwhelmingly driven by female audiences (71%) who were 25 or older (83%).

Vardalos wrote, directed and stars in "Greek Wedding 3," which brings back John Corbett and takes the gang to Greece. AP's Jocelyn Noveck wrote in her review that the movie, which has gotten mostly poor marks, is "like a thrice-warmed piece of baklava."

The Indian revenge thriller, "Jawan," starring Shah Rukh Khan, opened in fourth place with $6.2 million from only 813 locations. It was released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Khan, a Bollywood superstar, also led another box-office sensation this year, "Pathaan," which has made $130 million worldwide.

"Barbie," which arrives on demand Tuesday, dropped to No. 5 after eight triumphant weeks with $5.9 million. The film has now made $620.5 million domestically.

Final numbers are expected Monday.

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