‘Annabelle: Creation’ is Headed Toward a Solid $30 Million-Plus Opening Weekend

The box office has been a bit abysmal the last few weeks. The Dark Tower, a predicted “mega movie” in regard to Stephen King adaptations, essentially tanked with an opening weekend domestic tally of just $19 million last week. The week prior, new arrivals The Emoji Movie and Atomic Blonde both failed to wow audiences, with $24 million and $18 million debuts, respectively.

Given the recent box office slump, I’m not sure many predicted a powerful opening for Annabelle: Creation, the prequel to a film widely recognized as mediocre, at best. But here we are, about to sing a brand new tune.

After a solid $4 million Thursday early screening figure, Annabelle: Creation impressed again on Friday, pushing its early total to approximately $15 million. Projections now see the film likely walking away from opening weekend with a $30-$35 million premiere.

Those numbers aren’t going to resurrect the box office, as of now, but they’re more impressive than many industry insiders predicted. They’re also impressive tallies for the prequel to a film that sports a 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a reputation as a dreadfully boring film.

It looks like the Conjuring Universe may end up being the best thing to happen to the genre in a number of years!