THE CONJURING Creeps to Top of Weekend Box Office with $17M Debut; R.I.P.D. Signs Death Warrant with $4.8M

Supernatural horror flick THE CONJURING is creeping toward an impressive debut.

The Hollywood Reporter writes that the film, helmed by James Wan, opened to $17 million on Friday, July 19, with a projected weekend debut of $38.2 million. The movie cost just $20 million to produce for New Line and Warner Bros.

Read the original report here.

Based on a true story, THE CONJURING tells the horrifying tale of how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga) were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse.

On the other end of the spectrum, Universal's R.I.P.D., directed by Robert Schwentke and starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges, brought in just $4.8 million on Friday. The movie is set to drudge up $12.2 million by the end of the weekend, far below its $130 overhead. R.I.P.D. is based on Peter M. Lenkov's comic book Rest in Peace Department and also stars Kevin Bacon and Mary-Louise Parker.

The good news is that Universal's other summer offerings -- DESPICABLE ME 2, FAST & FURIOUS 6 and THE PURGE -- will and already have brought in huge profits, with DESPICABLE ME 2 climbing past $500 million worldwide. The minions are staying stubborn at No. 2 after the film drew another $7.4 million on Friday.

Dreamworks Animation and 20th Century Fox's TURBO, directed by David Soren, is another box office dud this weekend, coming in with $6.5 million on Friday after its July 17 opening. The film is headed for a five-day total of $31.1 million, with $21.4 million projected for the weekend. It cost $135 million to produce and follows an garden snail whose dream of racing in the Indianapolis 500 comes true. The cast includes Reynolds in the lead role, with Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Michael Pena, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez and Samuel L. Jackson.

Coming in fourth is Summit's RED 2, directed by Dean Parisot, with $6.4 million on Friday and a projected $18 million for opening weekend. The RED 2 cast features Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.