The supposed swan song of the Conjuring saga has arrived with a haunting force that few films in the genre have ever matched.
The latest entry in the Conjuring saga wasted no time making its presence felt. Audiences around the world flocked to theaters, proving horror is still one of the most powerful genres on the big screen (and that spooky season is coming).
A Horror Opening Of Historic Scale
The film’s debut weekend tallied up to a staggering $187 million globally. That places Last Rites just behind It (2017) for the biggest horror launch ever. Domestically, it scared up $83 million, while overseas markets added an even larger $104 million, setting a new record for international horror openings. IMAX screenings contributed $14.3 million, the strongest September start in the format’s history.
The Franchise That Refuses To Die
The Conjuring films center on Ed and Lorraine Warren, real-world paranormal investigators whose ghostly cases have been dramatized for the screen. What started in 2013 with The Conjuring quickly became a sprawling cinematic universe that includes spinoffs like Annabelle, The Nun, and more direct sequels.
Even though critics haven’t always been kind, the numbers don’t lie: with more than $2.3 billion in global earnings, The Conjuring Universe is the highest-grossing horror franchise in history.
Officially, Last Rites has been billed as the conclusion to the main Conjuring storyline. But with an opening this massive, it’s hard to imagine Warner Bros. not keeping the doors open for more spectral spin-offs. Horror fans know: when it comes to the box office, nothing stays buried for long.