'Annabelle: Creation' Exceeds Expectations

Moviegoers like playing with dolls — or at least menacing ones.

Warner Bros./New Line's R-rated prequel Annabelle: Creation conjured up a pleasing $35 million from 3,502 theaters in its domestic box-office debut, more than enough to scare off the competition even as it came in somewhat behind the previous three films in the successful Conjuring horror franchise.

Overall, it was another sluggish weekend at the North American box office, with revenue down more than 30 percent from the same frame last year as new animated offering The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature did muted business and holdovers including The Dark Tower and Detroit continued to struggle. Summer to date is now 12 percent down from the same frame in 2016, while year to date is down 4 percent.

Read the rest of this article at The Hollywood Reporter.

The Dark Tower was last weekend's top movie.