'Conjuring' a Box-Office Shocker With Throwback Horror

The new horror movie The Conjuring earned $41.5 million this weekend, an impressive feat for a low-budget genre film with no A-list actors in a crowded summer field including an action sequel (Red 2), an animated film (Turbo), and a big-budget CGI action flick (R.I.P.D.). (To be fair, R.I.P.D. seemed destined to flop no matter the competition.) But initial box-office predictions had The Conjuring earning $25 million and losing the battle for first place against the racing-snail flick Turbo. Well, in the end, The Conjuring blew by Turbo, which fell short with only $25 million. It’s just the latest in a string of surprise victories by overachieving, R-rated horror films.

Just a few weeks ago, The Purge found itself in a similar spot, confounding expectations with a $34 million opening weekend, handily beating the Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson buddy comedy The Internship. The Purge has earned $64 million total, as interest dropped off precipitously in subsequent weeks (which is typical of horror films).