"In the year 2025, horrorscape film 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' raked in an astounding $83 million on its opening weekend, bagging the title for the top-grossing horror premiere of the year thus far."
In a thrilling turn of events, Warner Bros.' latest horror instalment, "The Conjuring: Last Rites," has made a chilling impact at the box office, grossing over $40 million during its opening weekend. This impressive figure marks the most successful opening weekend for any film in the franchise, surpassing the previous record held by "The Conjuring" (2013) and "The Nun" (2018) spinoff.
The new film easily outpaced projections to become the seventh consecutive hit for Warner Bros., joining a list that includes "A Minecraft Movie," "The Accountant 2," "Final Destination: Bloodlines," "F1," "Superman," and "Weapons," among others. Notably, these titles also grossed over $40 million on their opening weekends.
Meanwhile, "The Conjuring: Last Rites" has also claimed the title of the biggest opening for a fright film in 2025, outperforming other successful horror releases such as "Dangerous Animals," "Animale," "Chainsaw Man: The Movie - Reze Arc," and "Black Phone 2." Although specific opening weekend box office revenues for these films are not available, their success is evident in the horror genre's resurgence this year.
Elsewhere in the world of entertainment, Disney+ released the filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical, "Hamilton," in theaters earlier this year. Originally filmed in 2016 and featuring members of the original Broadway cast, "Hamilton" grossed an estimated $9.8 million over the weekend in theaters. This comes after the film's initial release for streaming on Disney+ in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Netflix also made headlines with their animated musical, "Kpop Demon Hunters." Released for a single-weekend run, the film grossed an estimated $18 million, demonstrating the growing popularity of animated musicals and K-pop culture.
In other news, "Sinners," directed by Ryan Coogler, grossed a total of $278.5 million at the domestic box office but less internationally. The film's success adds to the impressive portfolio of Coogler, who has previously directed critically acclaimed films such as "Black Panther" and "Creed."
As the year progresses, it remains to be seen which films will continue to captivate audiences and dominate the box office. However, with the success of "The Conjuring: Last Rites," it's clear that horror films are still a force to be reckoned with.
