‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Had the Highest Global Opening in Horror Movie History

Twelve years old and nine movies deep, The Conjuring Universe was already the highest grossing horror franchise in cinema history heading into this past weekend, and one thing is for certain coming out of the weekend: The Conjuring Universe Fatigue simply does not exist.

Billed as the final installment in the saga – or at least the final big screen Conjuring experience to feature Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the demon-battling Ed and Lorraine Warren – The Conjuring: Last Rites scared up an incredible $84 million at the domestic box office, giving it the highest grossing debut weekend of any movie in the 9-movie universe!

Worldwide, The Conjuring: Last Rites opened to $187 million, which is actually the second highest global opening for a horror movie in the entire history of the moving picture. Here in the United States, it scared up the third highest opening weekend for any horror movie… ever.

UPDATE: 9/8/25 – 11:45am – Variety now reports that the final worldwide opening weekend number for The Conjuring: Last Rites was actually $194 million, which officially surpasses IT (2017) and its $190 million global start as “the biggest global start in history for a horror film.”

Only IT (2017) and IT: Chapter Two (2019) had higher opening weekends here in the States, IT debuting with $123 million domestically and Chapter Two opening with $91 million. All three films are of course Warner Bros. releases, with WB dominating the theatrical horror space this year all around. The highest grossing horror movies of 2025 so far are Sinners, Final Destination Bloodlines, Weapons, and now The Conjuring: Last Rites, all of them WB releases!

The Conjuring: Last Rites had the highest opening weekend out of any of them, suggesting that it will become the highest grossing worldwide horror movie of 2025 when all is said and done. The number to beat there would be the $366.6 million made by Ryan Coogler’s vampire epic Sinners, and we expect we’ll be writing up that headline in the weeks to come.

Talking exclusively about The Conjuring Universe, the previous record holder for highest opening weekend was The Nun with $53.8 million, a number Last Rites quickly blew past.

Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “The Conjuring: Last Rites is suitably nightmarish where it counts, bringing memorable chills that linger and spilling more blood than usual in a Conjuring film. But it’s more affecting for the way it wears its heart on its sleeves. It’s a fitting, heartfelt end to one of horror’s biggest modern franchises.”

The Conjuring: Last Rites draws inspiration from the real life Smurl Family Haunting.

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