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.