LOS ANGELES: The horror pic “The Nun” scared off the competition and dominated the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters, grossing $53.8 million.

A spinoff of a character seen in “The Conjuring 2,” ″The Nun” banked the most successful launch of the “Conjuring” universe, which also includes the “Annabelle” films.

Another newcomer, STX’s “Peppermint,” starring Jennifer Garner as a mother out for vengeance, moved up to second place with $13.4 million, and ahead of “Crazy Rich Asians,” which fell to third place with $13.1 million.

Fourth place went to the shark thriller “The Meg,” with $6.1 million, while the John Cho screen mystery “Searching” placed fifth with $4.6 million.

The top 20 movies at US and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by comScore:

1. “The Nun,” Warner Bros., $53,807,379, 3,876 locations, $13,882 average, $53,807,379, 1 Week.

2. “Peppermint,” STX Entertainment, $13,423,255, 2,980 locations, $4,504 average, $13,423,255, 1 Week.

3. “Crazy Rich Asians,” Warner Bros., $13,148,404, 3,865 locations, $3,402 average, $135,770,569, 4 Weeks.

4. “The Meg,” Warner Bros., $6,094,327, 3,511 locations, $1,736 average, $131,637,101, 5 Weeks.

5. “Searching,” Sony, $4,570,235, 2,009 locations, $2,275 average, $14,366,365, 3 Weeks.

6. “Mission: Impossible - Fallout,” Paramount, $3,885,798, 2,334 locations, $1,665 average, $212,202,565, 7 Weeks.

7. “Disney’s Christopher Robin,” Disney, $3,404,931, 2,518 locations, $1,352 average, $91,934,021, 6 Weeks.

8. “Operation Finale,” MGM, $2,871,184, 1,818 locations, $1,579 average, $13,935,630, 2 Weeks.

9. “BlacKkKlansman,” Focus Features, $2,609,915, 1,547 locations, $1,687 average, $43,498,445, 5 Weeks.

10. “Alpha,” Sony, $2,517,768, 2,521 locations, $999 average, $32,460,286, 4 Weeks.

11. “God Bless The Broken Road,” Freestyle Releasing, $1,386,254, 1,272 locations, $1,090 average, $1,386,254, 1 Week.

12. “Incredibles 2,” Disney, $1,352,194, 1,446 locations, $935 average, $604,465,699, 13 Weeks.

13. “Mile 22,” STX Entertainment, $1,206,503, 1,802 locations, $670 average, $35,111,649, 4 Weeks.

14. “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation,” Sony, $1,121,921, 1,012 locations, $1,109 average, $164,233,534, 9 Weeks.

15. “The Happytime Murders,” STX Entertainment, $1,082,377, 1,839 locations, $589 average, $20,027,804, 3 Weeks.

16. “Slender Man,” Sony, $838,526, 983 locations, $853 average, $29,692,608, 5 Weeks.

17. “Kin,” Lionsgate, $804,401, 2,141 locations, $376 average, $5,318,012, 2 Weeks.

18. “Ya Veremos,” Lionsgate, $767,346, 369 locations, $2,080 average, $3,312,383, 2 Weeks.

19. “Juliet, Naked,” Roadside Attractions, $642,022, 467 locations, $1,375 average, $2,429,485, 4 Weeks.

20. “The Wife,” Sony Pictures Classics, $639,857, 153 locations, $4,182 average, $1,964,144, 4 Weeks.