CONJURING 2 SCARES OF U.S BOX OFFICE

New Line’s “The Conjuring 2” is scaring up a solid $39 million at 3,343 sites in its opening weekend at the U.S. box office, handily beating launches by “Warcraft” and “Now You See Me 2,” estimates showed Saturday.

Universal’s fantasy-actioner  “Warcraft” is heading for a respectable $27 million at 3,400 locations while Lionsgate’s caper thriller “Now You See Me 2” should take in about $24 million at 3,232 venues.

                            

“The Conjuring 2” dominated moviegoing Friday with $16.4 million, followed by $10.7 million for “Warcraft” and $8.4 million for “Now You See Me 2.” Both sequels generated an A- Cinemascore among attendees, while “Warcraft” generated a B+. Reviews for “Warcraft” were more dismal, with just 27% positive on Rotten Tomatoes, while “Now You See Me 2” fared only slightly better with 37%.

                                 

Should the estimate hold for “The Conjuring 2,” the sequel will finish the frame down only 5% from the opening of 2013’s original horror-thriller — showing that moviegoers will offer strong support to franchises in their second incarnation. Concerns about the viability of sequels have risen in recent weeks following disappointing performances by “Alice Through the Looking Glass” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”