Weekend Estimates: ‘The Conjuring 2’ Scares Up $40.3M Start; ‘Warcraft’ Second w/ $24.3M; ‘Now You See Me 2’ Steals $23.0M

Warner Bros.’ The Conjuring 2 topped the box office with an estimated $40.35 million this weekend, the first time a horror film took first place since the family-friendly horror Goosebumps last October and arguably the first “true” horror first-place finisher since Ouija in October 2014. The period horror sequel opened 3.5 percent behind the $41.85 million opening weekend of its predecessor The Conjuring in July 2013, and 8.6 percent above the $37.13 million opening weekend of its spinoff Annabelle in October 2014. Warner Bros. claimed the film had the largest horror opening since the first Conjuring, although the sequel may end up slightly below the $40.27 million opening of Insidious Chapter 2 from September 2013 by the time final numbers come out on Monday.

The Conjuring 2 started with $16.47 million on Friday (including $3.4 million from Thursday night previews), declined 14.7 percent to $14.04 million on Saturday, and dropped another 30.0 percent to $9.83 million on Sunday. This places its opening-weekend-to-Friday ratio at an estimated 2.44 to 1, about in line with the 2.46 and 2.40 ratios of its predecessor and spinoff, respectively. The movie earned an A- CinemaScore, a fairly even gender ratio with 52 percent female audience, and 57 percent of the audience over age 25. With tough horror competition from The Purge: Election Year arriving in three weeks, it remains difficult to tell whether The Conjuring 2 will match the impressive $137.40 million haul of its predecessor or instead end up closer to the $84.27 million total of Annabelle.

Universal’s Warcraft took second place with an estimated $24.35 million, disappointing for such a high-budget offering. The fantasy video game adaptation was released perhaps several years than was optimal, considering that subscriptions to the game upon which it was based peaked in 2010 and are currently at less than half their peak, according to numbers from Forbes. The movie started with $10.7 million on Friday, declined 27.1 percent to $7.8 million on Saturday, and dropped another 24.8 percent to $5.86 million on Sunday. This places its opening-weekend-to-Friday ratio at a frontloaded estimated 2.27 to 1. The film earned a B+ CinemaScore and 46 percent of its audience was over 30.

Compared to some other recent fantasy game adaptations, Warcraft started 36.1 percent behind the $38.15 million opening of The Angry Birds Movie in May and 19.0 percent below the $30.09 million start of 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Yet Warcraft has been performing significantly better overseas, as discussed below, even by modern standards where most blockbusters make the majority of their revenue outside the U.S.

Lionsgate’s Now You See Me 2 opened in third with an estimated $23.02 million. The thriller sequel with an all-star cast including Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Daniel Radcliffe, Jesse Eisenberg, and Michael Caine opened 21.5 percent below the $29.35 million opening of the original Now You See Me in May 2013. The sequel started with $8.42 million on Friday, declined a mild 2.6 percent to $8.20 million on Saturday, and dropped another 21.8 percent to $6.405 million on Sunday. This places its opening-weekend-to-Friday ratio at an estimated 2.73 to 1, a bit more front-loaded than the 2.91 ratio of its predecessor. Don’t expect it to reach the $117.72 million cumulative total of the original.

Last week’s top finisher, Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, tumbled 58.1 percent in its second weekend to fourth place at an estimated $14.8 million. This was slightly higher than the 56.5 percent second-weekend drop of the previous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2014. The sequel has grossed $61.03 million through 10 days, 48.1 percent behind the $117.76 million 10-day start of its predecessor, though it is running 30.9 percent ahead of the $46.60 million 10-day beginning of 2007’s reboot TMNT.

Fox’s X-Men: Apocalypse dropped 56.2 percent in its third week to make an estimated $10.0 million and take fifth place. Just as the film had a higher second-weekend drop than its predecessors, 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past and 2011’s X-Men: First Class, Apocalypse once again sees a higher third-weekend drop than the 53.4 percent decline for Days and the 50.5 percent decline for First. Apocalypse has now earned $136.37 million through 17 days, which is 28.0 percent behind the $189.55 million 17-day start for Days and 13.3 percent ahead of the $120.35 million 17-day beginning for First.

Warner Bros.’ Me Before You dropped 50.8 percent to $9.21 million, a surprising decline considering its dramatic adult themes and positive word of mouth, and has now earned $36.82 million through 10 days. Sony’s The Angry Birds Movie declined 34.4 percent to $6.70 million and has now earned $98.16 million through 24 days. Disney’s Alice Through the Looking Glass dropped 51.0 percent to $5.54 million and has now earned $62.43 million through 17 days, a staggering 76.4 percent behind the $265.43 million 17-day start of its predecessor Alice in Wonderland back in 2010.

Rounding out the top 10, Disney’s Captain America: Civil War declined 45.1 percent to earn $4.30 million, and has earned $396.58 million through 38 days to continue its streak as the highest-grossing film of the year so far. It’s running 61.8 percent ahead of the $245.12 million 38-day start of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, 0.6 percent ahead of the $394.28 million 38-day take of 2013’s Iron Man 3, and 9.4 percent behind the $438.15 million 38-day gross of last year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. And Disney’s The Jungle Book dropped 38.8 percent to $2.72 million, for a $352.64 million total through 59 days.

Overseas Update:

Despite only finishing in second place domestically, Warcraft dominated the competition worldwide with a $29.8 million overseas total in 51 markets, plus a record-breaking $156 million five-day opening in China — the fastest that any foreign film has reached that mark within China, beating the four days it took last year’s Furious 7. The film, which had already been out for several weeks overseas prior to its domestic release this weekend, has now earned $286.1 million worldwide. Key grosses to date besides the aforementioned China include $19.9 million in Russia, $12.1 million in Germany, $9.1 million in France, $7.3 million in the United Kingdom, $5.0 million in South Korea, $4.7 million in Brazil, and $4.2 million in Spain.

The Angry Birds Movie made $31.8 million overseas, up 94.0 percent, in 87 markets. It has now earned $157.2 million overseas and $255.3 million globally, including $49.0 million in China, $10.7 million in Russia, $8.5 million in Germany, $8.4 million in the United Kingdom, $6.4 million in Brazil, $6.1 million in Mexico, $4.8 million in Australia, $4.4 million in Spain, $4.0 million in France, and $3.6 million in Argentina.

Now You See Me 2 earned an estimated $20.1 million overseas in 30 markets, for a $22.8 million overseas and $45.8 million global total. The film made $6.1 million in Russia, $4.1 million in Australia, $2.2 million in Taiwan, $1.8 million in Brazil, and $1.8 million in Hong Kong, with the film expanding in other major foreign markets on a staggered schedule over the rest of the summer.X-Men: Apocalypse made $25.0 million this weekend, down 70.3 percent, in 76 markets. It has now earned $342.0 million overseas and $478.3 million globally, including $90.6 million in China, $24.5 million in the United Kingdom, $20.9 million in Korea, $18.2 million in Mexico, $17.3 million in Brazil, $14.2 million in France, and $10.8 million in Australia.

Alice Through the Looking Glass made an estimated $14.6 million overseas in 44 markets, down 52.7 percent from last weekend. It has now earned $151.0 million overseas and $213.4 million global total to date. Despite those disappointing numbers, Disney had great international news this weekend when it took possession of the first-, second-, and third-highest grossing films globally of the year so far, with Captain America: Civil War, Zootopia, and The Jungle Book respectively.

Captain America: Civil War made $1.2 million overseas this weekend, down 71.4 percent. It has now earned $745.5 million overseas and $1.142 billion global total, including $190.4 million in China, $62.8 million in Korea, $53.5 million in the United Kingdom, $41.4 million in Mexico, $40.4 million in Brazil, $27.9 million in Japan, $25.1 million in Australia, $22.9 million in France, and $21.5 million in Germany.

Zootopia made $3.1 million overseas (down 13.8 percent) in 16 markets, primarily driven by its $2.8 million in Japan. It has now earned $668.7 million overseas and $1.006 billion global total, including

The Jungle Book made $7.5 million overseas this weekend in 30 markets, more than double its overseas total from last weekend after opening in Korea. It has now earned $557.2 million overseas and $909.8 million globally, including $150.1 million in China, $64.9 million in the United Kingdom, $38.8 million in India, $26.3 million in France, $24.3 million in Mexico, $22.5 million in Australia, and $20.3 million in Russia.

Weekend Estimates for Friday, June 10 – Sunday, June 12, 2016: