The Nun had a scary good opening weekend despite negative reviews


Despite earning mixed to negative reviews, The Nun just had a frighteningly good opening weekend at the box office, beating every other entry in the Conjuring universe so far.
The spinoff, which is based on the demon character that originated in The Conjuring 2, earned $53 million domestically this past weekend, outpacing the series' previous opening weekend record of $41 million with the original The Conjuring. The Nun also beat Annabelle's $37 million and Annabelle: Creation's $35 million.
Audiences turned out for The Nun even though the film was not received particularly well by critics — it got a 28 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But the average moviegoer apparently wasn't particularly thrilled with the film, either, as CinemaScore reports that a sampling of audience members from across the country gave The Nun an average rating of C, per The Wrap. For comparison, the first two Conjuring movies both received an A-.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, The Nun is another big hit in a winning streak for Warner Bros., which is also still raking in cash with The Meg and Crazy Rich Asians. The latter film came in second place this weekend and took in another $13 million. This, as box office analyst Gitesh Pandya observes, is the first time in more than 25 years that the same studio had the #1 and #2 movie at the box office for four consecutive weekends.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
David Attenborough at 99: a 'radical' voice for climate action
In The Spotlight In his new film 'Ocean', TV's best-known naturalist delivers his strongest message yet
-
The Four Seasons: 'moving and funny' show stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey
The Week Recommends Netflix series follows three affluent mid-50s couples on a mini-break and the drama that ensues
-
Thunderbolts*: Florence Pugh stars in 'super-silly' yet 'terrific' film
The Week Recommends This is a Marvel movie with a difference, featuring an 'ill-matched squad of antiheroes'
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine