The latest film in Warner Bros.’ supernatural franchise, The Conjuring: Last Rites, opened to a domestic weekend take of $83 million, underscoring the series’ sustained box-office appeal and sending earlier entries up streaming charts as audiences revisited the saga.
The franchise’s first three films climbed HBO Max viewing lists in the days around Last Rites’ release, a sign that the series’ theatrical momentum continues to drive interest in its back catalog. Warner Bros.’ ongoing reshaping of its larger superhero slate — including the recent announcement of a Superman sequel slated for summer 2027 — has drawn media attention, but the Conjuring-verse remains one of the studio’s most consistently profitable contemporary properties.
Originated by filmmaker James Wan, the main-line Conjuring films follow Ed and Lorraine Warren, portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as allegedly real-life paranormal investigators who respond to hauntings and demonic activity. Last Rites is the fourth title explicitly billed as a Conjuring picture and the ninth movie in the larger shared universe of related films; some counts include a tenth entry, The Curse of La Llorona, whose status within the franchise has been disputed despite character links to the Annabelle spinoff series.
The wider Conjuring-verse includes a trilogy of Annabelle films built around a doll said to reside in the Warrens’ collection of cursed objects, and a pair of Nun movies that grew out of a character introduced in The Conjuring 2. Box-office returns have been steady across the constellation of titles, with the Nun films among the highest-grossing entries worldwide.
Critics and analysts point to several factors behind the series’ endurance. James Wan’s directorial approach on the first Conjuring — meticulous camera movement, layered sound design and calibrated jump scares — established a craft-oriented template that the subsequent films have largely followed. The franchise’s principal actors have been credited with selling the material: Wilson and Farmiga play genre conventions with a sincerity and steadiness that anchor each installment even when plot or tone drifts into more familiar horror territory.
The Conjuring films are also notable for a relatively mainstream, accessible sensibility. Unlike many contemporary independent horror successes that hinge on lingering dread or psychological disquiet, the Conjuring-verse tends toward contained exorcism narratives and period-haunted-house setups that resolve with ritual and catharsis. That tone, and the recurring focus on families — often households with children identified as targets of supernatural forces — creates a repeatable formula that audiences have returned to in sizeable numbers.
Not all entries have been equally well-regarded. Annabelle, the early spinoff, drew criticism for tedium even as later prequels such as Annabelle: Creation found more favor with genre fans. The franchise’s connective tissue has sometimes been treated as ornamental rather than essential; producers have at times decanonized or downplayed linkages, as in the case of The Curse of La Llorona, which features an Annabelle-associated character yet has been officially distanced from the franchise’s continuity.
The Conjuring-verse also benefits from strong international demand, mirroring the tentpole travelability of superhero franchises albeit at a lower production cost. Industry observers note that the films’ economical approach to scares and recurring motifs makes them easier to market globally than some higher-concept horror properties.
Last Rites, which depicts the Warrens confronting unfinished demonic matters around the time of their daughter Judy’s birth, closes with an extended, sentimental farewell for the couple. That tone prompted discussion about whether the protagonists’ arc has reached a natural endpoint, though the broader franchise has shown a willingness to continue through spinoffs, return appearances or new characters drawn from the Warrens’ artifact collection.
While some horror aficionados prefer the lingering unease of films such as The Babadook or It Follows, the Conjuring-verse has carved out a distinct place in contemporary popular culture by blending craft-driven scares, a recurring heroic couple and an anthology-friendly structure. With Last Rites’ strong opening weekend and renewed streaming interest, the franchise’s underdog status among today’s cinematic universes looks likely to endure.