If the last three weeks of Crazy Rich Asians-dominated box office reports were a downright holy and righteous period of light and positivity, here comes demonic Gothic horror The Nun—poppining out of the shadows accompanied by a very jarring music cue—to possess moviegoer's attention. Warner Bros.' 1952-set spookshow grabbed $22.4 on Friday, gliding toward an estimated $50 million opening weekend. Directed by Corin Hardy, the film sends a priest (Demián Bichir), a novitiate (Taissa Farmiga), and a French-Canadian (Jonas Bloquet) into a bar Romanian convent to explain a nun's mysterious suicide. Hell beasts and Hail Maries ensue.

These numbers would put The Nun's opening weekend ahead of those from the rest of its Conjuring Universe cohorts, which also includes a pair of Annabelle films and director James Wan's The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2. (It also boasts the worst CinemaScore of the bunch, a C-. Pay no attention to the pans behind the curtain!) A $50-million+ bow would also put The Nun—which cost a reported $22 million to proudce—in second place for the biggest September opening of all time, right behind last year's IT.

While audiences are screaming, Warner Bros. is laughing themselves silly while Scrooge McDuck diving into piles of cash. The studio is having one heck of a summer, with The Nun coming after its Crazy Rich Asians and The Meg dominated the month of August. (Even in third place, Crazy Rich Asians still managed a not-too-shabby $3.83 million in its third Friday.)

Meanwhile, newcomer Peppermint—an R-Rated action-thriller from Taken director Pierre Morel starring Jennifer Garner—got off to a shaky start, taking in a not-so-great $4.65 million. The film, which carries a Rotten Tomatoes score of 16% but a B+ CinemaScore (something something for the fans, not the critics), is on track for a $12 million opening.

Check back tomorrow for full weekend estimates, and take a look at Friday's numbers below.

Rank

Title

Friday

Total

1.

The Nun 

$22,370,000

$22,370,000

2.

Peppermint

$4,650,000

$4,650,000

3.

Crazy Rich Asians

$3,830,000

$126,452,165

4.

Searching 

$1,430,000

$11,226,130

5.

The Meg

$1,350,000

$126,892,774

the-nun-movie-image-3
Image via Warner Bros.
jennifer-garner-peppermint
Image via STX Films
crazy-rich-asians-constance-wu-henry-golding
Image via Warner Bros.