The Nun Is No Longer The Biggest Box Office Hit In The Conjuring Universe

It may have taken seven years, but "The Nun" is no longer the Queen of The Conjuring Universe. Released in 2018, director Corin Hardy's "The Conjuring 2" spin-off made $366 million worldwide and, ever since, has remained the highest-grossing entry in the franchise. Until now, that is. Valak has been defeated.

"The Conjuring: Last Rites" has been on a tear at the box office for the last few weekends, opening to an astounding $194 million worldwide on the first weekend of September. That represented a new global record for a horror movie, surpassing 2017's "It" ($190 million). On its third weekend, director Michael Chaves' "Last Rites" pulled in another $12.2 million domestically, good enough for number three on the charts.

More importantly, the fourth solo "Conjuring" movie led by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren continued to be hugely appealing overseas. It added $28.3 million internationally over the weekend, bringing its new global total to a few nickels shy of $400 million worldwide. By the end of this sentence, it will have crawled over that hump. After just three weekends, it has more than surpassed "The Nun" to become the unquestioned champion of the Conjuring Universe.

What's interesting is that "The Nun" is widely considered to be one of the worst movies in the franchise. Even so, the demon nun Valak truly caught on with audiences and that made the spin-off an easy sell at the time of its release — so much so that it took three or four more Conjuring Universe movies to steal the crown. 2019's "The Curse of La Llorona" ($123 million worldwide) remains a strange case as it is technically connected with the larger universe, but the producers have said it's not an official entry.

For those who are sticklers for such things, adjusted for inflation "The Nun" would have made around $472 million in today's dollars, give or take. But "Last Rites" still has a lot of gas in the tank and should have no trouble getting much closer to $500 million before all's said and done. So even after adjusting for inflation, we're likely to have a new champ.

In any event, it's both impressive that "The Nun" held onto the record for so long, and strange that it was held by a movie that is so poorly regarded. Then again, this franchise has a knack for turning a negative into a positive. "Annabelle," the first "Conjuring" spin-off, made $257 million worldwide against a tiny $6.5 million budget. It was also a critically panned installment, but it also allowed for the Conjuring Universe as we know it to bloom.

Warner Bros. course corrected, as "Annabelle: Creation" was a big improvement on its predecessor. The same can be said for "The Nun II." Altogether, the "Conjuring" movies have managed to create a very loyal audience, with the franchise earning $2.8 billion to date. That number could be very close to $3 billion by year's end.

As of right now, "Last Rites" is the 12th biggest movie of the year globally and will soon pass "Captain America: Brave New World" ($415 million) for the 11 spot. It has a chance to overtake "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" ($520 million) to make it into the top ten. That's impressive stuff, especially considering its $55 million budget. Audiences really galvanized around the idea that this was a big send-off for Wilson and Farmiga as the Warrens.

That doesn't mean that Warner Bros. is going to let the franchise die though. It's already been reported that a "Conjuring" prequel movie is in the works. There's also an opportunity for more spin-offs, such as the long-discussed "The Crooked Man" movie. What's clear is there is a healthy appetite for such things. This franchise is arguably stronger than it's ever been.

"The Conjuring: Last Rites" is in theaters now.