‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Overtakes 2025’s Most Successful Horror Movie at the Box Office

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In a thrilling turn of events this past weekend, The Conjuring: Last Rites managed to earn an impressive $83 million at U.S. cinemas, marking it as the top horror movie opening of 2025 thus far. It surpassed Zach Cregger’s almost flawless Weapons in box office success.

Worldwide, the movie grossed approximately $187 million, of which $104 million was generated in foreign countries. As per box office data, its production cost was around $55 million.

The movie debuted simultaneously with “Hamilton” in 3,726 theaters initially anticipated to gross around $50 million. However, after a robust first day, which featured $8.5 million from Thursday previews, breaking franchise records, the projected earnings for the weekend were subsequently increased to $75 million.

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I must confess, I was thrilled beyond words! The movie, simply put, shattered all my expectations during its grand debut, raking in an impressive $83 million over the opening weekend. This staggering figure not only sets a new record as the highest opening within the Conjuring franchise, but it also slots itself neatly as the third-biggest horror film launch ever.

But here’s where things get truly exciting – Warner Bros., my beloved studio, achieved an unprecedented feat by clocking their seventh consecutive release that opened above $40 million! This is a first in their impressive history, and I can’t help but feel a sense of pride and anticipation for what’s yet to come.

In the Philippines, the movie experienced exceptional success, ranking as the second-biggest opening film of 2025, and setting a new record for highest opening for a horror film in the country, outshining “Final Destination: Bloodlines”.

The feedback towards this movie has been quite varied. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 146 critics found positive aspects in 56% of their reviews, while Metacritic scores the film a 54 out of 100, based on 27 reviews, suggesting a “middling” or “average” response from critics.

The responses from the audience have predominantly been favorable, as indicated by CinemaScore’s survey rating the movie a “B” on average, and PostTrak revealing that 58% of viewers are eager to wholeheartedly recommend it to others.

Last Case. Last Rites. #TheConjuring: Last Rites – Only in Theaters September 5.

— The Conjuring (@TheConjuring) May 8, 2025

The Conjuring movie series, starting with James Wan’s 2013 release, has significantly influenced the horror genre in cinema, as it features. In this series, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Notable horror icons such as Annabelle, the haunted doll, and the demon nun Valak, have been brought to life within this franchise.

The franchise holds the title for the highest-grossing in horror movie history, and the film “Last Rites” carries on this success by setting a new record upon its initial release.

The newest addition has outperformed the highest-grossing film in the franchise to date, “The Nun” (2018), which made $53.8 million on its opening weekend. In stark contrast, “Last Rites” debuted with a staggering $83 million, representing a 54% increase and significantly surpassing the openings of the last four films in the series, none of which exceeded $35 million. Interestingly, this initial earnings alone are greater than the total lifetimes grosses of some recent sequels within the series.

Moving forward, it’s predicted that “Last Rites” will most probably outperform other significant horror movies slated for release in 2025, such as “Sinners,” “Weapons,” and “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” in terms of total box office earnings. Although some upcoming releases next week might divert a portion of the audience, at present, nothing seems to pose a serious threat to “Last Rites” maintaining its position at the top.

According to one box office expert, ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ concludes the franchise with an impressive start, boasting the highest opening earnings among all films in the series.” This highlights the film’s strong performance and leadership within the horror genre.

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2025-09-08 11:17