The Conjuring 4 Shatters the Box with a Massive 194 Million Global Opening
The (presumably) final chapter in the Conjuring Universe is shattering box office records. Let's dive in...
Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema’s The Conjuring: Last Rites has grossed 84 million during its opening weekend at the domestic box office. This is the third-biggest domestic opening for a horror film of all time, behind only It: Chapter Two (91 million) and It (124 million). Considering the fact that projections were around 40-50 million, this is a pretty big over-performance. This is now also the highest grossing debut in The Conjuring franchise, beating The Nun (53.8 million).
But this is only part of the story. The movie is exploding overseas as well. It has grossed 110 million from the international markets, for a worldwide opening of 194 million, which makes it officially the biggest global debut of a horror movie (passing It, which opened with 190 million worldwide in 2017). The production budget is 55 million, so we’re talking about a movie that already grossed over 3 times its budget in a single weekend. Most likely it will pass The Nun final gross (366 million) to become the highest grossing movie in The Conjuring Franchise.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that the reviews weren’t great (58% on Rotten Tomatoes, 54 on Metacritic), but the box office estimates went up and up as the weekend progressed. Audience seems to really like it (the movie received a “B” on CinemaScore, which is not too bad for a horror film), and it shows. The studios were smart to market this movie as “The Final Chapter”, to make it an event, and the fans were rushing. I think it also shows the power of The Conjuring Universe, which is the most (and perhaps only) successful cinematic universe since Marvel. Not to mention that even the worst reviews promised that fans of Ed and Lorraine Warren will get a satisfying conclusion.
Which brings me to this - above everything, people really connected with Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). Like the Marvel movies – and the Harry Potter movies – this is a franchise that knows what people care about the most – the main characters. Ed and Lorraine are clearly the main focus of this franchise, and it will be interesting to how (or if) the franchise will continue without them.
So, what’s next for The Conjuring? I’m 100% sure that Annabelle 4 is all-but-guaranteed. Aside from Ed and Lorraine, she’s the face of the franchise, she’s popular, and her trilogy of movies did phenomenal at the box office (around 790 million against a budget of approximately 48.5 million). Another option is The Nun 3 – both of her movies have also done well, and like Annabelle, she’s a fan favorite. I also wouldn’t be surprised if Judy Warren and her husband (played by Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy) become the “next generation” of demon hunters. Trust me, the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren might just have ended, but The Conjuring Universe is here to stay.