Warner Bros. kept horror on top this weekend as The Conjuring: Last Rites opened to $83.0M, more than double the original Conjuring’s $41.9M debut in 2013 and the biggest horror opening of 2025.
It caps a strong run for WB fright fare this year: Sinners opened at No. 1 for two weekends in April, Final Destination: Bloodlines hit No. 1 in May, and Weapons led the past four frames before handing the crown to Last Rites.
Overall domestic box office hit $124.0, up sharply from last weekend’s sluggish $64.1M but short of the $147.6 tallied on this post–Labor Day frame last year when Beetlejuice launched with $111.0M. It’s the seventh straight weekend trailing 2024. After nine weeks of Q3, 2025 is -15% vs. last year; the year-to-date lead has narrowed from +15% in H1 to +4% now.
Studios and exhibitors are eyeing a Q4 rally with Disney’s TRON: Ares (10/10), Paramount’s The Running Man (11/14), Universal’s Wicked for Good (11/21), Disney’s Zootopia 2 (11/26), Universal’s Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (12/5) and, most importantly, Disney/20th’s Avatar: Fire & Ash (12/19).
The Conjuring Universe, by the Numbers
The three prior Conjuring films have grossed $847 million worldwide on a combined production budget of $99 million (approximately 8.6 times gross-to-budget). The broader Conjuring Universe, three Annabelle films, two Nun entries, The Curse of La Llorona, plus the four Conjuring titles, has amassed nearly $2.5B worldwide on roughly $175.5M in total production costs, an even stouter ~14x return. All told: 10 films in 12 years since James Wan’s 2013 original—making it the highest-grossing horror franchise ever.
About Last Rites: Farewell to the Warrens
Billed as the conclusion of Phase One’s Warren saga, Last Rites follows Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) as a Vatican-linked case pulls them back into battle with a demonic force tied to their family history. Their daughter Judy—seen throughout the series, now in her early 20s—figures prominently in the emotional payoff.
Directed by Michael Chaves (The Devil Made Me Do It, The Nun II, The Curse of La Llorona), the film drew mixed reviews (Rotten Tomatoes ~56% critics) but stronger audience marks (~79%). The Associated Press describes it as a sentimental send-off that pairs jump scares with closure; Entertainment Weekly highlights the emotional finale and cameos; Cinemablend praises the Warrens’ relationship and Judy’s arc, while finding the haunted-house mechanics less potent than those in earlier entries.
With a franchise-high $55M production budget, WB spent to send the Warrens out in style. Break-even sits around $140M worldwide; given the opening and the series’ historical 64% international split on Conjuring titles, it’s on pace to get there.
How Last Rites stacks up (openings, budgets, RT)
• The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025): $83.0M opening; $55M budget; ~56% critics; ~79% audience
• The Conjuring 2 (2016): $40.4M opening; $40M budget; 80% critics; 82% audience
• The Conjuring (2013): $41.9M opening; $20M budget; 86% critics; 83% audience
• The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021): $24.1M opening; $39M budget; 56% critics; 83% audience
Top 5 Weekend
- The Conjuring: Last Rites — $83.0M (debut)
Franchise-best opening; emotional farewell to the Warrens lands despite mixed reviews. - Hamilton (Disney) — $10.0M (debut)
The filmed Broadway phenomenon finally hits theaters for its 10th anniversary, adding a new “Reuniting the Revolution” prologue. Broadway has grossed $1.1B to date, making it the #4 all-time musical behind The Lion King ($2.1B), Wicked ($1.8B) and The Phantom of the Opera ($1.4B). After bypassing a 2021 theatrical run for a Disney+ drop (7/3/2020), the big-screen bow is welcome—if modest versus its pre-COVID potential. - Weapons (Warner Bros.) — $5.4M (-49%); cume $143.0M domestic / $251.5M worldwide
Lower-grossing than spring’s Sinners but more profitable thanks to a lighter $38M budget. Snapshot vs. Sinners (31 days): Weapons $143.0M dom / Sinners $240.6M dom; critics 94% vs 97%; audience 85% vs 96%. - Freakier Friday (Disney) — $3.8M (-44%); cume $87.8M domestic / $142.9M worldwide
A strong, profitable run 22 years after Freaky Friday (2003). Prime Disney+ play later this year—and if there’s another sequel, maybe don’t wait another two decades. - Caught Stealing (Sony) — $3.2M (-59%); cume $14.9M domestic / $24.3M worldwide
Darren Aronofsky’s offbeat action-comedy isn’t connecting commercially. Trajectory points to ~$20M domestic / $34M worldwide—well short of the ~$100M global mark needed. An interesting compare to Scorsese’s After Hours (1985): both cult-leaning detours from directors known for heavier fare, neither a box-office playmaker.
The Road Ahead
Seven consecutive down weekends vs. 2024 have pinched momentum, but a loaded Q4 slate could flip the narrative. For now, horror keeps the lights on—and the Warrens got their curtain call.
Weekend Box Office 9/5–9/7
Courtesy of Comscore
| Rank | Title | Wk | Theatres | Weekend | % Change | Average/Theatre | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Conjuring: Last Rites (Warner Bros.) | 1 | 3,802 | $83,000,000 | — | $21,831 | $83,000,000 |
| 2 | Hamilton (Disney) | 1 | 1,825 | $10,000,000 | — | $5,479 | $10,000,000 |
| 3 | Weapons (Warner Bros.) | 5 | 3,284 | $5,370,000 | -49 | $1,635 | $143,045,000 |
| 4 | Freakier Friday (Disney) | 5 | 3,125 | $3,800,000 | -44 | $1,216 | $87,813,679 |
| 5 | Caught Stealing (Sony) | 2 | 3,578 | $3,200,000 | -59 | $894 | $14,901,000 |
| 6 | The Roses (Searchlight) | 2 | 2,700 | $2,800,000 | -55 | $1,037 | $12,284,311 |
| 7 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney/Marvel) | 7 | 2,385 | $2,750,000 | -45 | $1,153 | $270,131,321 |
| 8 | The Bad Guys 2 (Universal) | 6 | 2,602 | $2,450,000 | -48 | $942 | $77,710,000 |
| 9 | Light of the World (Emick) | 1 | 2,075 | $2,400,000 | — | $1,157 | $2,400,000 |
| 10 | Superman (Warner Bros.) | 9 | 1,187 | $1,000,000 | -61 | $842 | $353,302,000 |
Total: $116,770,000
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