The latest installment in The Conjuring Universe of interconnected films, The Nun II, will debut at the top spot in its opening weekend at the domestic box office, as the spectacular summer movie season gives way to an uncertain fall. The movie made $13 million on Friday, which includes the $3.1 million that it made from Thursday previews. This puts The Nun II on track top gross between $31 million and $34 million in its first weekend.

While this is one of the sturdier openings in the franchise’s history, it’s significantly lower than the $53 million that the first Nun debuted with in 2018. The Nun is still the highest-grossing movie of the franchise at the global box office, with $363 million worldwide. Which means that interest in the character is actually greater than it is in even the creepy Annebelle doll, which has spawned three separate films in the series.

The Nun II’s debut is in the same range as the first two Annabelle movies, but it’s better than the debut hauls delivered by director Michael Chaves two previous movies — The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ($24 million in mid-pandemic 2021) and The Curse of La Llorona ($26 million). Not that reviews really matter for horror titles, but The Nun II is currently sitting at a “rotten” 45% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and could only manage a C+ CinemaScore from opening day audiences.

Two New Releases Claimed Top Five Slots on Friday

Slipping to second position after topping the box office in its first weekend, Sony’s The Equalizer 3 passed the $50 million mark domestically on Friday, as it looks to add an estimated $11 million in its second weekend. The action threequel exceeded expectations with a $42 million haul across its four-day extended opening weekend, and has a good shot at posting franchise-best hauls both domestically and worldwide when all is said and done.

Debuting at the number three spot with $3.7 million on Friday (including $550,000 from Thursday previews), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 is expected to make around $10 million in its opening weekend. The first film debuted in 2002, and famously went on to become a runaway hit with over $370 million globally. Released in 2016, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 opened to $18 million, and concluded its domestic run with just under $60 million. The fourth spot will go to India’s Jawan, starring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The action-drama opened Thursday with $1.3 million from under 900 theaters, and added $1.7 million on Friday, for what is shaping up to be a $5.7 million weekend. Barbie will likely take the fifth spot, with $5 million. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.