'The Conjuring 2' has a frightful win at the box office this weekend

As reported by USA Today and other news organizations "The Conjuring 2, won the box office this weekend during its debut in theaters. The highly anticipated film by New Line Cinemas and distributed by Warner Bros. nearly matched the debut its previous film "The Conjuring." The film earned $40.4 million, which no doubt was a relief to both production company and distributor since sequels have been having a hard time matching expectations this year.

Taking second place was the film "Warcraft," based on the very popular game "World of Warcraft." The film earned an impressive $24.4 million in domestic receipts. The final debuting film of the weekend, "Now You See Me 2," came in third place at the box office race. The film earned $23 million, which is another example of a sequel making less than its original film.

Dropping from first place to fourth place was Paramount's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows." The film earned an additional $14.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and now has a total of $61 million in domestic receipts. Dropping from second place to fifth place was "X-Men: Apocalypse," garnering an additional $10 million. This X-Men film has now earned $136.4 million, since its debut three weeks ago.

Next weekend watch to see if Pixar's "Finding Dory," brings families to the movies in droves. Also coming to theaters is the comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, titled "Central Intelligence," and the documentary "Tickled."

Box office statistics from Box Office Mojo