“The conjuring: last Rites,” the ninth installment in “The Conjuring” universe, has exceeded industry expectations with a remarkable opening weekend. Initial forecasts anticipated earnings of approximately $50 million, but the film’s actual debut reached $83 million.

This notable performance positions “Last Rites” as the franchise’s best opening, surpassing 2018’s “The nun” ($53.8 million). Furthermore, it secures the third-highest opening for a horror movie in cinematic history, trailing only 2017’s “It” ($123.4 million) and 2019’s “It: Chapter Two” ($91 million).

Horror’s Reign at the Box Office

According to Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, “‘The Conjuring’ represents true, pure horror. The true horror movie experience in a movie theater, and that’s why you’re seeing this $83 million debut.”

“‘The Conjuring’ represents true, pure horror…that’s why you’re seeing this $83 million debut.”

The success of “The Conjuring: Last Rite” has been a meaningful factor in elevating the horror genre to over $1 billion at the 2025 domestic box office, according to Comscore data.

Other high-grossing horror films this year include Warner Bros.’ “Sinners,” which premiered in April and has earned $278.6 million domestically, and “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” with $138.1 million. Additionally, “Weapons,” another Warner Bros. release, has grossed $143 million in its first five weeks.

Upcoming Horror Sequels

The prevalence of horror sequels in theaters is set to continue this fall. Universal Pictures is scheduled to release “Black Phone 2” on October 17, followed by “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” on December 5.

Dergarabedian likened the appeal of horror sequels to “the biggest roller coaster in the theme park. It has the longest line because people want to be scared in the communal environment of a movie theater.”

In contrast to “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” Disney released the filmed version of the broadway hit “Hamilton” this weekend, which secured the No. 2 spot with $10 million.

David A.Gross, publisher of industry newsletter Franchise Re, described “hamilton” as “another fully unique release,” adding that its earnings are “an excellent number” considering its previous success on the Disney+ streaming platform in 2020 and its decade-long run on Broadway.