The Nun II Rotten Tomatoes Score More Than Doubles the First Movie’s

The Nun II is now playing in theaters and the reviews for the film have been much kinder than those received by its predecessor back in 2018. The latest chapter of the Conjuring Universe has a lot in common with The Nun, including the return of star Taissa Farmiga. One major difference, however, is the reaction from critics. The Nun was met with pretty awful reviews when it was first released. On its opening night, The Nun II has a Rotten Tomatoes score more than double that of the first movie.

At the time of writing this article, on Thursday evening, The Nun II has a score of 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. That score may be just below the required 60% to be considered “Fresh,” but it is significantly higher than its predecessor. The Nun has a measly 24% rating on the aggregate site, the worst of the entire Conjuring franchise.

What Makes the Conjuring Universe So Successful?

The Nun II is director Michael Chaves’ third time helming a Conjuring movie. Ahead of the film’s theatrical debut, he talked to about why the long-running horror franchise continues to find success.

“The movies are always scary, and they always deliver on that core experience,” Chaves explained. “The other things that really make them work is that there’s a lot of heart in them. There are characters that you really love, and there’s also the element of faith. Faith is always an element that runs through these films – and sometimes more directly than others – but it’s the combination of those three things that’s the Holy Trinity of the universe.”

Chaves went on to explain how each of the films in the Conjuring Universe manage to set themselves apart and stand out from one another.

“It’s interesting. Whenever someone says, ‘All three of your movies are in the Conjuring-verse,’ it’s easy to think that it’s a kind of rinse and repeat, but making movies is like raising kids. Each one has their own personality and they become their own person, and that’s so true with movies. They just naturally do that,” he said. “I’m such a fan of this series, and I’m such a fan of the universe that I actually like those connections. I like feeling that this really is part of a bigger story, and I like feeling the weight of that. It actually feels like something that is both building off of something and then building to something, so I always love having those little connections. So even though they do become their own movies – and I think that they are just naturally – I’m usually the one who’s trying to bring those connections back in.”