Horror has traditionally been a reliable box office draw, but even by the genre’s standards, 2025 has been a banner year. The trio of Sinners, Final Destination Bloodlines, and Weapons all performed extremely well in theaters, helping fuel what’s been a record-setting year for Warner Bros. As Weapons‘ theatrical run starts to wind down, the studio has released another new horror title, The Conjuring: Last Rites. Sold to audiences as the last time franchise stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will portray paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, it was expected Last Rites would also be a box office hit. What people might not have expected is exactly how big Last Rites ended up being.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to Deadline, The Conjuring: Last Rites grossed an estimated $83 million domestically in its opening weekend. Not only is that easily the largest debut for a horror movie this year (blowing past Sinners‘ haul of $48 million), it shatters the all time franchise record. Last Rites scored the biggest opening weekend for The Conjuring Universe, a mark previously held by spinoff The Nun ($53.8 million).
Even more impressive is the fact Last Rites earned more in three days than predecessor The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It made in its lifetime ($65.6 million domestic). An important caveat to keep in mind, however, is The Devil Made Me Do It premiered in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously back in 2021. WB’s controversial pandemic-era release strategy undoubtedly impacted the film’s box office prospects.
Could The Conjuring: Last Rites Be 2025’s Highest-Grossing Horror Movie?
Going into the weekend, projections had The Conjuring: Last Rites pegged for a $40+ million domestic opening, and $80 million worldwide. But once Last Rites set a new opening-day record for the franchise, it became clear it was set to surge past those estimates. While it was a trend for horror movies to exceed box office expectations this year, nobody could have seen this coming. Last Rites more than doubled the openings of the first two Conjuring films (unadjusted for inflation).
It stands reason to believe The Conjuring: Last Rites will catch Final Destination Bloodlines and Weapons, both of which are just under $140 million domestically. Bloodlines officially closed its theatrical run in July, and Weapons is soon to be available on home media. It’s done its damage at the box office, meaning Last Rites should be able to close the gap relatively quickly. The bigger question is whether or not The Conjuring can reach Sinners, which stands at $278.5 million domestically.
A lot will depend on how well The Conjuring: Last Rites holds in its second weekend. Despite this record-breaking box office haul, Last Rites earned mixed reviews, and it’s possible the word of mouth could hurt the film’s legs. Horror movies and franchises in general can be frontloaded, as die-hard fans come out in full force on opening weekend. If Last Rites suffers a massive drop next weekend, it’ll have less of a chance of catching Sinners. Next weekend sees the release of acclaimed Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, so moviegoers have another appealing option to choose from.
Regardless, The Conjuring: Last Rites should keep its opening weekend record for the year. There are several other horror movies on the horizon, including Him, The Strangers — Chapter 2, and Black Phone 2, but none of them seem like realistic candidates to surpass $83 million. The likeliest is probably Black Phone 2 since it’s a sequel, but 2022’s The Black Phone made $90.1 million domestically in its lifetime after posting a $23.6 million opening. Black Phone 2 would have to wildly outperform its predecessor and expectations to come close to reaching Last Rites.
Most Viewed
-
Image via THQ Nordic -
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
A closeup of a PlayStation 5 with a controller on top.
