Warner Bros./New Line’s “The Conjuring: Last Rites” has exploded past all expectations. Not only has the advertised finale to the occult horror saga set a franchise record with a jaw-dropping $83 million opening weekend, it stands as the third-highest opening weekend ever for a horror film.
The only films that top it are also Warner/New Line releases: Andy Muschietti’s “It” duology, which set the genre record with the first installment in 2017 with $123.4 million, followed by “Chapter Two” with $91 million in 2019
Internationally, “Last Rites” stands even higher with a $104 million overseas total, surpassing the $94 million for “It: Chapter Two” as its global launch stands at an incredible $187 million against a reported $55 million budget.
And on top of all of that, it is Warner Bros.’ record seventh straight release to earn a $40 million-plus opening, joining the likes of Legendary’s “A Minecraft Movie” ($164 million opening), DC Studios’ “Superman,” ($125 million), Apple’s “F1” ($57 million) and Ryan Coogler’s original film “Sinners” ($48 million).
It also joins two others New Line horror films: “Final Destination: Bloodlines” ($51.6 million) and “Weapons” ($43.5 million), making the production company a vital part of what has become Warner’s strongest box office year since 2018 with more than $1.7 billion domestic and $3.7 billion worldwide. New Line films have combined for approximately 20% of that total with $768 million grossed and counting.
Trackers did not expect “Conjuring: Last Rites” to reach these heights, with projections topping out at $60 million. But a blockbuster-light August, combined with the stronger-than-expected love for Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga’s franchise protagonists Ed and Lorraine Warren, has made the marketing for this film as the final chapter of their story extremely potent.
And while the Warrens’ story in the “Conjuring” universe is now at an end, that doesn’t preclude Warner, New Line, and series’ rights holders The Safran Company — run by DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran — from continuing the franchise with new characters a la “Jurassic World Rebirth.” Whether and how “The Conjuring” will continue remains to be seen, but given that “Last Rites” just showed the enduring audience demand for this series, Warner will almost certainly want to try.
It’s a blessed relief for theaters, which weren’t expecting any film to get close to the $111 million opening of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” last September but now have the hope of at least one film easing the box office through what is expected to be a slow autumn, particularly with two films previously slated for October, “Michael” and “Mortal Kombat II,” moving to May 2026.
Even if the mixed reception to “Last Rites” leads to a more frontloaded box office run — the film earned a 55% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B on CinemaScore, the latter being the lowest grade for the main “Conjuring” series — a $150 million-plus box office run is almost assured for this film as theaters look ahead to a month that includes Sony/Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” and Warner’s final release for the year, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”
Beyond “Conjuring,” the No. 2 film on the charts this weekend was Disney’s theatrical release of “Hamilton,” specifically the filmed version of the original Broadway production starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Anthony Ramos. Released to celebrate the musical’s 10th anniversary, the film earned $10 million from 1,825 locations this weekend after being released on Disney+ in 2021.
“Weapons” sits in third with $5.3 million in its fifth weekend and totals of $143 million domestic and $251 million worldwide. Disney’s “Freakier Friday” is fourth with $3.8 million and an $87.8 million domestic total after five weekends, and Sony’s “Caught Stealing” completes the top 5 with $3.2 million for a $14.9 million total after two weekends.
