The Conjuring: Last Rites Just Delivered the Biggest Global Opening Weekend in Horror History

8 September 2025

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson in The Conjuring: Last Rites. Credit : Warner Bros.

At a time when many film genres face fierce streaming competition, The Conjuring: Last Rites has roared back into theaters with one of the year’s most astonishing success stories. Released September 5, the film delivered a staggering $194 million globally during its opening weekend the largest worldwide debut ever recorded for a horror movie. This shatters the previous record held by 2017’s It, which bowed at $190 million.

Domestically, ticket sales were equally breathtaking. The film grossed $83 million in its first weekend, marking the biggest horror movie premiere of 2025 and the most successful launch in the franchise’s history. It surpassed The Nun’s previous benchmark by a dramatic 54%. Overseas, it pulled in another $104 million and continues to dominate, especially in markets such as India, where it earned a record-setting Rs 18 crore ($2.2 million) on its opening day outpacing most 2025 Hollywood releases.

Warner Bros. has made history with this release. It’s now the seventh consecutive film from the studio in 2025 alone to open north of $40 million a feat no other studio has matched.

The keys to this success are as eerie as the story on screen. Directed by Michael Chaves and produced by genre legend James Wan along with Peter Safran, Last Rites draws on the real-life Smurl haunting from 1986. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return in their iconic roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren figures who have become synonymous with modern paranormal storytelling.

Industry watchers call this launch a cultural strike against naysayers who doubted horror’s commercial clout in 2025. The film dethroned Weapons, which had dominated theaters for four consecutive weeks, and outpaced Sinners a strong performer and the year’s top-grossing domestic release thus far.

Yet the ripple effect may continue. Warner Bros. is already exploring a prequel to the franchise even though Last Rites was intended as the saga’s farewell chapter. James Wan, however, faces negotiations over his creative and producing credits and his future participation may hinge on studio compromises.

Behind these numbers lies a truth about audience appetite. Fans are drawn to immersive storytelling grounded in assumed reality. The Conjuring Universe has become a theatrical event where eerie familiarity meets shared dread, and moviegoing becomes a collective thrill. Fans are queuing up, not for escapism, but for that sharp intake of breath when the screen goes dark.

In a time of streaming abundance, The Conjuring: Last Rites reminds us: some stories are still best experienced in the dark, together.