‘The Nun’ Eyes Biggest Opening Weekend in ‘Conjuring’ Franchise History

This weekend, The Nun is looking to make history for the ever-popular Conjuring series, as the film is currently eyeing the largest opening weekend in franchise history.

According to a new report from Deadline, the Corin Hardy-directed spin-off is tracking for a box office debut between $36 and $45 million. Two out of three tracking services are leaning towards the higher end of that scale, suggesting the film tops the $40 million mark. If that’s the case, there’s a very good chance that The Nun has the biggest opening of any Conjuring Universe film to date.

Of the four Conjuring films to be released in theaters so far, James Wan’s series originator in 2013 has had the largest opening. The film took in $41.8 million in its first weekend, which makes it the mark for The Nun to beat this weekend.

Taking on The Conjuring should be the only major challenge for The Nun, as it’s already outpacing some of the other popular films in the franchise. Per Deadline‘s report, advance ticket sales for The Nun have already passed Annabelle: Creation and The Conjuring 2. The Annabelle sequel opened to $35 million in 2017, on its way to a $102 million total, while The Conjuring 2 earned $40.4 in in its debut.

This massive weekend is definitely a result of the success of the Conjuring films in the past, but a major scheduling decision by Warner Bros. was also key. Originally, The Nun was slated to hit theaters on July 13, taking on The Rock’s Skyscraper and Hotel Transylvania 3. While The Nun still would have fared well in the summer, the studio opted to move it to September, where it’s much closer to the Halloween season, and much further from any significant competition. Warner Bros.’ rom-com Crazy Rich Asians has won the box office for three consecutive weekends, paving the way for The Nun to be the first real hit of the fall season.

The Nun will open against STX’s Peppermint, the revenge thriller starring Jennifer Garner, which is expected to open between $10 million and $13 million.

Are you excited to see The Nun this weekend? Do you think it will have the biggest opening of any movie in the Conjuring Universe? Let us know in the comments!