‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ tops horror box office with $194M debut

By Arts & Entertainment Desk
9 September 2025, 06:36 AM
UPDATED 9 September 2025, 13:09 PM
Warner Bros. and New Line’s “The Conjuring: Last Rites” has blown past expectations with a staggering $194 million worldwide opening, making it the biggest global debut in horror film history—surpassing the previous record of $190 million set by 2017’s It.

Warner Bros. and New Line's "The Conjuring: Last Rites" has blown past expectations with a staggering $194 million worldwide opening, making it the biggest global debut in horror film history—surpassing the previous record of $190 million set by 2017's It.

The ninth installment in the acclaimed Conjuring franchise also sets a new milestone with a record-breaking $110 million international launch, outpacing the previous horror overseas debut held by It: Chapter Two ($92 million in 2019). Domestically, it earned $84 million, positioning it as the third-biggest opening for the genre after It ($123 million) and It: Chapter Two ($91 million). Sunday's figures had already declared this the highest opening ever for the series both domestically and globally.

Directed by franchise veteran Michael Chaves, "Last Rites" reunites stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren, two paranormal investigators facing their most sinister case yet. Original creator James Wan and producer Peter Safran returned to guide the film. The Conjuring universe—which includes "The Nun" and "Annabelle" spinoffs—remains the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time with over $2.3 billion in worldwide revenue.

With a production budget of $55 million, the movie is already a commercial win for Warner Bros., marking their seventh consecutive film to debut above $40 million. This run of success follows a string of less successful films like "Joker: Folie à Deux", "Mickey 17", and "The Alto Knights", showcasing the studio's powerful rebound through recent hits like "A Minecraft Movie", "Sinners", "Final Destination: Bloodlines", "F1: The Movie",
Superman", and "Weapons".