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Conjuring Last Rites Just Made Horror Movie Box Office History

by admin September 8, 2025

The Conjuring: Last Rites had a massive opening weekend. The ninth film in the Conjuring franchise and fourth entry in the main series racked up over $190 million globally and set a new record for horror films. And it continues Warner Bros’ incredible and historic hot streak.

Arriving in theaters on September 5, The Conjuring: Last Rites brought in $84 million domestically alone, making it the largest domestic opening in the franchise’s history. The horror flick, which stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, collected $110 million internationally, as reported by Variety. Combined, the film brought in $194 million total.

That bonkers total, which far exceeds WB’s expectations, is not only the biggest opening in the franchise’s history, but it also beat out 2017’s It, which earned $190 million during its opening weekend, and is now the largest debut for a horror flick ever. The entire Conjuring universe, which started in 2013, now sits at $2.3 billion in earnings, making it the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time.

And despite lukewarm critical reviews, Last Rites continues WB’s impressive and historic box office hot streak. The Conjuring: Last Rites is now the seventh film in a row from WB to make $40 million or more during its opening weekend. It started with Minecraft in April and has continued with each WB movie released since then. This kind of hot streak has never happened before. Will it continue? WB’s next movie, One Battle After Another, might not be able to keep the streak going, but we’ll find out when it arrives in theaters later this month.

One final fact: The top three horror film openings in the United States are now The Conjuring: Last Rites, It, and It: Chapter Two. And guess which studio produced and distributed all of those films? Warner Bros.

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September 8, 2025 0 comments

There'll Be No De-Aging Jump Scares in 'The Conjuring: Last Rites'

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Last Rites’ Summons a Franchise-Best Box Office

by admin September 7, 2025

After a longer-than-expected wait, the fictionalized versions of Ed and Lorraine Warren have financially gone out with a bang.

Per the Hollywood Reporter, this weekend’s The Conjuring: Last Rites has made $187 million worldwide. Of that, $83 million came domestically, becoming the best launch for a Conjuring movie, the third-biggest open for a horror movie overall, and well past initial projections from Warner Bros. and box office analysts. Internationally, its $104 million take also defied expectations and became the second horror biggest opening for a Hollywood horror movie.

Last Rites once again sees real-life couple Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as the Warrens as they investigate the Smurl hauntings. The movie’s marketing has leaned heavily on this being the pair’s last case as paranormal investigators, and by extension the end of the Warrens’ tenure in these movies. Despite that, The Conjuring itself isn’t going anywhere, as there’s a TV show in the works for HBO Max. Rites has earned mixed reviews, but nothing outside the norm for the overall franchise.

Outside of Conjuring, New Line’s Weapons continues to clean up. Now in its fifth week, the horror-thriller has made another $10 million worldwide—$5.4 million domestic, and $4.6 million international—to bring its overall total to $250 million. Earlier this week, New Line revealed the film would be hitting digital platforms on Tuesday, September 9 before its physical release on October 14. No word yet on an HBO Max date.

Looking ahead, the month’s theatrical genre movies include The Long Walk on September 12, Him and A Big Bold Beautiful Journey on September 19, and The Strangers: Chapter 2 on September 26.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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September 7, 2025 0 comments

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What happens to Ed and Lorraine Warren? The Conjuring: Last Rites ending explained

by admin September 5, 2025

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final movie in the billion dollar franchise, and this is what happens when Ed and Lorraine encounter the Smurl haunting, plus how the Warrens ultimately bow out.

The first Conjuring movie hit screens in 2013, and quickly became a horror phenomenon, grossing $300 million more than its budget.

Sequels The Conjuring 2 and The Devil Made Me Do It followed, as did spinoffs concerning Annabelle and The Nun, and between them the movies have grossed more than $2 billion.

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That number is set to rise with The Conjuring: Last Rites now in cinemas, and below you’ll find out how the story – and the series – ends. Meaning SPOILERS ahead…

Ed and Lorraine investigate the Smurl haunting

Warner Bros.

Loosely based on a true story, The Conjuring: Last Rites sees Ed and Lorraine Warren following their daughter Judy and future son-in-law Tommy to West Pittson, Pennsylvania, where a family called the Smurls are being haunted by a malevolent spirit that arrived in a mirror.

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Lorraine’s paranormal abilities means she soon figures out what’s up, and explains that the Smurl house sits on farmland where a shocking drama once unfolded.

It revolved around a “wild, tormented woman,” who had an affair that drove her husband insane. He went after his betrothed with a shotgun, she hid in a basement with her mother-in-law, and he found and killed them both.

But Lorraine also reveals that the three spirts are just a facade, and something even more evil is at work, and has an ulterior motive…

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How the ending of Conjuring: Last Rites circles back to the start

Warner Bros.

That’s because the real evil was encountered by the Warrens at the start of their careers, in a scene that we witness at the beginning of the movie.

Said spirit attacks pregnant Lorraine through a mirror – the same mirror – resulting in her having a premature birth, and daughter Judy only just surviving the ordeal.

But the evil wasn’t done with the Warrens, and it’s now after Judy via the Smurl haunting, and even briefly takes possession of her during the finale.

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The mirror then floats and spins, and Ed seems to cast the “ugly spirit” out, but it’s a false victory, and the malevolent force comes back even harder, quickly incapacitating Tommy.

“Don’t run” is the theme of the movie, so Ed, Lorraine, and Judy stay put to face their demon, placing their hands on the mirror in unison. They then face twisted reflections of themselves – as well as the spirit itself – but ultimately win the war, and cast the evil out for good in a hail of glass.

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Then via words onscreen, we learn that the Smurls remained in the house for another three years, and that the haunting experience made them stronger as a family.

Saying goodbye to the Warrens

Warner Bros.

With the horror over, Last Rites ends by wrapping up the story of the Warrens. Ed and Lorraine take the mirror home, and lock it up in their terrifying trophy room. Ed gives Tommy the keys, says “welcome to the family,” and Tommy shuts and locks the door behind him.

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The film then cuts to Judy and Tommy’s wedding, where eagle-eyed fans should be able to spot characters that the Warrens helped in previous movies, as well as Conjuring mastermind James Wan.

During the reception, the Warrens dance to ‘Comfort You’ by Van Morrison, as Lorraine tells Ed about the vision she’s seen of their future, which involves becoming grandparents, writing a book to pass their knowledge onto future generations, having more adventures, and helping lots more people.

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It’s a future that’s filled with warmth and comfort and love, to which Ed responds “that sounds just about right.”

The movie concludes with more words onscreen, revealing that Ed had a stroke when he was 74, and Lorraine became his caregiver for the last five years of his life, while she herself died at the age of 92.

It also says that while their work was sometimes ridiculed, it nevertheless brought paranormal research into the mainstream. Over the end credits, we then see photos and footage of the real-life couple, appearing on chat shows and in the news, and helping those in paranormal need.

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The Conjuring: Last Rites is in cinemas now, while for more scary stuff, check out our list of the best horror movies ever.

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September 5, 2025 0 comments

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren

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When to take a bathroom break during The Conjuring: Last Rites

by admin September 5, 2025

The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final film in the franchise, and also the longest entry in the series, so if you’re busting for a bathroom break during the movie, we’ve got you covered.

The Conjuring and its Annabelle and Nun spinoffs have made more than a $2 billion at the global box office, making it the most successful franchise in horror history.

Those central films star Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who probed both the Enfield poltergeist and the Amityville horror in the 1970s.

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The Conjuring: Last Rites is the final film in the franchise, and revolves around the infamous Smurl haunting. If you need the rest room while that story unfolds, check out our guide below. Meaning MILD SPOILERS ahead..

Hit the bathroom when Father Gordon investigates during The Conjuring: Last Rites

Warner Bros.Father Gordon (right) with the Warrens.

The Conjuring: Last Rites clocks in at 135 minutes, which is a whopping 2 hours and 15 minutes, and we don’t recommend checking out at any point so you bear witness to every second of terror.

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But if you desperately need a comfort break, we suggest departing when Father Gordon visits the Smurl home, which is approximately 1 hour and 3 minutes into the movie.

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Gordon visits Janet Smurl, strokes the family dog, and says he isn’t there under the auspices of the church. She explains that there have been creepy goings-on in the basement, so he heads down to investigate.

Father Gordon throws some holy water around in that cellar, it starts to burn like acid, and the priest gets spooked and rushes off to find Bishop McKenna, with plans to send his demonic fears up the chain.

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In the next scene, McKenna’s secretary asks Gordon to wait outside his office, at which point the Father’s nose starts to bleed.

Roughly five minutes have elapsed when the blood starts dripping, which is when you want to be back in your seat, as the horror is about to ramp back up.

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But it’s a good sequence to miss, as previous scenes have indicated that the basement is haunted, so Father Gordon is simply learning information that the audience already knows.

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The Conjuring: Last Rites is in cinemas now, while for more scary stuff, check out our list of the best horror movies ever.

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September 5, 2025 0 comments

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There’ll Be No De-Aging Jump Scares in ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’

by admin September 3, 2025

The Conjuring: Last Rites is already scary sight unseen for Conjuring fans, because it’s due to be the final film in the mainline Conjuring series. But if you’ve watched any of the movies it’s spawned since 2013, you know they aim to shock and terrify, with curse-flinging witches and demonic nuns looming out of the darkness. That said, one thing you can rest assured won’t be in Last Rites: unintentional jump scares wrought by uncanny valley de-aging technology.

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Last Rites director and Conjuring series veteran Michael Chaves teased a meaty flashback scene featuring younger versions of Ed and Lorraine Warren, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in all the films. He fully intended to use those actors in the scene, then apply de-aging tech to make them appear decades younger.

However, he admitted, his confidence in that approach had already begun to waver when Farmiga herself chimed in. “Out of the blue, Vera gives me a call and, almost like she’s a psychic herself, she’s just like, ‘You know what? I have a feeling on this. I think you should cast it,’” Chaves told EW.

He continued. “The way [Vera] articulated it was… When you see Patrick and Vera, there’s comfort. They are kind of sacred and everything works out and you’re very aware of them. If you’re seeing a new Ed and Lorraine Warren, something is a little unsteady about that. I think it makes it a little bit more off-kilter.”

It took some convincing at the studio level, but the new approach prevailed, and Madison Lawlor and Orion Smith came aboard as the younger Warrens.

They enjoyed the experience so much they’d both be up for returning as the characters if, say, The Conjuring ever did a full-on prequel movie. “I would love to explore what the beginning of their careers looked like, because I think that is so fascinating how they found their footing and built this really amazing empire,” Lawlor said.

So far no word on whether or not that’s in the cards, but you can see Ed and Lorraine Warren—at different ages, played by different actors—when The Conjuring: Last Rites hits theaters September 5.

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September 3, 2025 0 comments