Box office update The Conjuring summons $17 million on Friday crushes ...

On a weekend stuffed with big budget tentpoles Warner Bros. modest horror release The Conjuring is scaring off every one of its rival releases. The $20 million James Wan directed film pulled in $17 million on its first Friday at the box office. That s slightly ahead of The Purge s $16.8 million opening Friday in may and with better reviews and an excellent A CinemaScore grade (a rarity in the horror genre) The Conjuring should surpass The Purge s $34.1 million debut. Right now The Conjuring seems to be on pace for a $37 million weekend which double Wan s best previous opening which came in 2004 when Saw cut up $18.3 million.

Related Box office preview 'The Conjuring' could race past 'Turbo' this weekend Box office report 'Despicable Me 2' wins with $44.8 million trumps 'Grown Ups 2' and 'Pacific Rim'

Despicable Me 2 held strong in second place with $7.5 million on its third Friday. The animated smash which has already outgrossed Monsters University wasn t hurt too much by the arrival of yet another animated film Turbo. Despicable Me 2 may capture another $25 million this weekend which would push its total to $276 million.

In third place Turbo which had already earned $9.7 million on Wednesday and Thursday screenings raced away with $6.5 million on its first Friday. The $135 million film about a snail (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) competing against racecars in the Indy 500 will take in about $19 million over its first weekend frame which would give the Fox/DreamWorks release a lackluster $28.7 million in its first five days at the box office.

Grown Ups 2 fell 61 percent from its first Friday into fourth place with $6.4 million. The $80 million Adam Sandler comedy which last weekend opened to $41.5 million may take in another $20 million this weekend good for a $79.5 million total.

Two new releases finished in fifth and sixth place. Red 2 took in $6.3 million on Friday a full 14 percent drop from Red s $7.3 million opening Friday in 2010. The $85 million sequel may earn about $18 million this weekend. And then there was R.I.P.D. the Ryan Reynolds/Jeff Bridges action film that Universal say cost $130 million (though its budget has been reported at $154 million). R.I.P.D. earned just $4.8 million on Friday which puts it on track for a disastrous $12.5 million debut and marks Universal s first major misstep since Battleship.

Check back tomorrow for the full box office report.

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