MOVIE NEWS – Critics may have written off the latest Conjuring entry as stale and formulaic, but that hasn’t stopped audiences from turning it into a blockbuster. Against all odds, the (supposedly final) chapter in the Warrens’ saga has defied the odds and stormed the global box office.

The fourth and reportedly last installment in the Conjuring franchise, titled The Conjuring: The Last Rites, made a stunning impact during its opening weekend. It pulled in the second-best debut ever for a horror movie, only trailing 2017’s It. Even with inflation and shifting metrics taken into account, the numbers remain remarkable. The truth is, the film didn’t look like a surefire hit on paper—but the results say otherwise.

With $187 million worldwide ($104 million internationally, $83 million from the U.S., and $4.1 million in Spain), the film has set a franchise record. IMAX screenings also delivered a hefty $14.3 million, the best horror opening for the large format. These results push the larger “Conjuring Universe” (including The Nun and Annabelle spin-offs) past $2.3 billion in total earnings, cementing its place as the most lucrative horror saga in cinema history.

A franchise at a crossroads

This release arrives at a critical moment. While the Conjuring films have consistently been reliable moneymakers, their critical reception has varied widely. The Last Rites currently sits at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, with only the first two entries ever earning above 80%. Titles like The Nun, Annabelle, and even The Conjuring 3 range between 25% and 55%. Though box office and reviews don’t always align, these figures show signs of audience fatigue—something that can eventually hurt a franchise. That said, horror films remain relatively cheap (budgets between $20 million–50 million), which makes them highly profitable even with modest returns.

To illustrate the significance of the film’s debut, Jorge Loser on Bluesky compared it to recent genre darlings. In just its opening weekend, The Last Rites grossed $67 million more than both The Substance and Give It Back combined throughout their entire runs. These latter titles may have been critics’ favorites, but they pale in comparison to the box office juggernaut that Warner Bros. just unleashed. Horror, boosted by streaming and low costs compared to superhero blockbusters, continues to thrive in today’s cinematic landscape.

A tired formula that still works

Despite its record-breaking performance, critics argue that the formula has worn thin. Haunted houses, demonic possessions, and endless jump scares filmed with near-identical framing have made the series feel repetitive. Numerous imitators—Deliver Us from Evil, Ouija, Cadaver, Winchester, and even Spain’s Verónica—have only added to the sense of déjà vu.

Still, horror’s appeal lies in its variety of approaches. From A24’s arthouse touch with Hereditary to Blumhouse’s crowd-pleasing fare like Insidious, the genre continually reinvents itself. The Conjuring franchise itself demonstrates how belonging to a series can serve as a springboard rather than a limitation, letting creators turn up the volume on absurdity and spectacle. Horror, more than any other mainstream genre, remains one of the last playgrounds for real creativity—and audiences keep showing up, no matter what critics say.

Source: Xataka