“The Conjuring: Last Rites” has resurrected the box office, collecting a sensational $83 million in its first weekend of release.
That’s a new opening weekend record for Warner Bros. and New Line’s “Conjuring” universe, supplanting the benchmark held by 2018’s spinoff “The Nun” with $53.8 million. Among other achievements, it’s the best start this year for a horror movie (above May’s “Final Destination: Bloodlines” with $51.6 million) and the third-largest for the genre in box office history (after two other Warner Bros. titles, 2017’s “It” with $123 million and 2019’s “It: Chapter Two” with $91 million).
Heading into the weekend, independent tracking services suggested that “The Conjuring: Last Rites” would debut to $50 million or $60 million. However, pent-up demand to go to the movies (there hasn’t been a new blockbuster in weeks), as well as great word-of-mouth and goodwill toward the franchise, sent the ticket sales into the stratosphere. Reviews were mixed, but that rarely makes a difference for the genre of horror. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprised their roles as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who in this entry are trying to vanquish a demon from a family’s home. It’s billed as the final installment in the “Conjuring” world, though that’s unlikely to be the case after this weekend’s box office performance.
Internationally, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” earned $104 million from 66 territories for a stunning global launch of $187 million. In yet another record, these ticket sales overtook “It: Chapter Two” ($92 million) for the largest overseas debut for a horror film.
“This is a smash,” says analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. “Horror fans can’t get enough of Lorraine and Ed Warren.”
Across nine films (spinoffs include “Annabelle” and “The Nun”), the “Conjuring” universe has become the highest-grossing horror franchise in history with a combined $2.3 billion. This installment cost $55 million to produce, which will make for some scary-good profit margins. Michael Chaves, who directed the prior film in the series, returned behind the camera while James Wan, who created the occult-tilted property, and Peter Safran were back as producers.
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” has extended a remarkable streak for Warner Bros. as the seventh consecutive release to open above $40 million this year, a first for any Hollywood studio. After a terrible box office run with “Joker: Folie a Deux,” “Mickey 17,” and “The Alto Knights,” Warner Bros. rebounded with April’s “A Minecraft Movie” followed by “Sinners,” “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1: The Movie” (which the studio distributed for Apple), “Superman” and “Weapons.” These outsized wins have taken the pressure off the studio’s next gamble, Paul Thomas Anderson’s $130 million-budgeted “One Battle After Another,” which opens at the end of September.
In a distant second place, Disney’s filmed version of “Hamilton” earned a notable $10 million from
1,825 theaters in its first weekend on the big screen. It’s an impressive figure since the taping of the Broadway sensation has been available to watch on Disney+ since 2020. Though touted as a limited one-week engagement, “Hamilton” will stay in theaters as long as people keep returning to the room where it happens.
This weekend has been a huge boon to movie theater owners after the vital summer season ended with a whimper. Comparisons to the same frame in 2024 are tough — down nearly 22% — because that’s when the Warner Bros. sequel “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” launched to $111 million. However, the year-to-date box office remains 3.8% ahead of last year, according to Comscore.
“After a rather quiet month of August, the industry needed a boost — and ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ has provided both a box office and a morale booster,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “There is no better way to kick off a fall movie season than an overperforming film. This sets the stage for movies set to release in the coming weeks.”
Several holdover titles rounded out the top five on North American charts. “Weapons” landed in third place with $5.3 million in its third weekend of release. A late-summer sleeper hit, “Weapons” has generated a huge $143 million domestically and $251 million globally to date.
“Freakier Friday” and director Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller “Caught Stealing” followed in close succession with $3.8 million and $3.2 million in their fifth and second outings, respectively. Disney’s sequel to “Freaky Friday” has been a modest performer with $87 million in North America and $142 million worldwide. Meanwhile, “Caught Stealing,” which sharply declined by 60% from its debut, hasn’t connected with audiences, having earned just $14.9 million domestically and $24.3 million globally so far.
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