You know that feeling when a horror flick grabs you by the throat and won't let go, even if the plot creaks like an old floorboard? That's The Conjuring: Last Rites this weekend—pulling in a staggering $83 million domestically, blasting past every entry in the franchise by a cool $30 million or so. I sat there, scrolling the numbers, thinking… really? Projections had it pegged at maybe $50 million tops, but here we are, with a worldwide haul already kissing $187 million. It's absurd. Glorious, in a twisted way. Warner Bros. must be cackling in their boardrooms—this marks their seventh straight opener over $40 million, a studio record that eclipses anything in history. Remember March? Trades like Variety were penning obituaries for co-heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy after duds like Mickey 17 and Alto Knights. Doom and gloom everywhere. Now? They're the comeback kids, all thanks to horror's relentless churn.
But let's not sugarcoat it—the reviews aren't kind. A 56% on Rotten Tomatoes? In this era of polished studio campaigns, that's practically a badge of defiance. Audiences slapped it with a B CinemaScore, which for horror means “good enough to scare the pants off you in a dark theater.” Devotees don't care about critics' quibbles; they crave that communal shiver, the jump scares echoing through the crowd. Horror these days… it's not just a genre, it's a ritual. Profitable as hell, demanding the big screen over streaming slumps. Think back to The Devil Made Me Do It, limping to $24 million amid pandemic chaos and HBO Max day-and-date drops. Context matters, sure—but $83 million? That's a resurrection.
And it's not alone in the freak show. Hamilton's film adaptation—yes, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway beast, already lounging on Disney+—snagged second place with $10 million. Who saw that coming? A stage-to-screen leap that defies logic, pulling crowds despite the at-home option. Weapons keeps grinding, tacking on $5.3 million to hit $143 million domestic. Solid legs for a thriller. Then Freakier Friday clings to fourth at $3.8 million, eyeing $87 million total—probably stalling short of $100 million, but hey, body-swap laughs have their limits.
Oof, though—Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing. Excellent, you say? I agree, but the box office begs to differ: a 59% drop to $3.2 million, totaling $14 million. Brutal. It'll need divine intervention for $20 million. The Roses fares worse at $2.8 million for $12.28 million—Labor Day experiments? One and done, I'd wager. Fantastic Four: First Steps hangs tough with $2.7 million, pushing to $270 million. The Bad Guys 2 adds $2.4 million to $77 million. Even Light of the World, that faith-based animation, sneaks in at $2.4 million—niche appeal, with a per-screen average screaming “church groups only.” James Gunn's Superman closes the top 10 at $1 million, totaling $353 million. Steady as she goes.
Warner's horror streak—Sinners, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Weapons—it's like they've cracked the code. Same weekend last year? Beetlejuice Beetlejuice owned it. Patterns emerge, don't they? Horror thrives on familiarity, on those franchise devotees who show up rain or shine. Behind the scenes, whispers say Last Rites wrapped amid reshoots, tweaking scares to amp the dread—someone mentioned the demon designs got a last-minute overhaul, drawing from real folklore sketches. Feels authentic, or at least committed. And with a 56% RT score, it's raw, unpolished… grating at times, gorgeous in its terror.
Next weekend? The Conjuring holds court, unless Stephen King's The Long Walk (which I dug at its festival circuit tease—raw, relentless) or the latest Downton Abbey installment shakes things up. Downton plays to its elegant fans; The Long Walk? Pure King grit. But dethroning this beast? Doubtful, until maybe Jordan Peele's produced Him hits later—Peele's touch always twists the knife deeper.
Horror's Resilient Pulse Horror isn't dying; it's mutating—Last Rites proves fans forgive flaws for that adrenaline hit, turning middling reviews into box office gold.
Warner's Horror Renaissance From early-year flops to seven $40M+ openers, Warner Bros. flipped the script, leaning on terror to rebuild their empire.
Unexpected Runners-Up Hamilton's $10M haul shocks, showing Broadway adaptations can still draw crowds even post-streaming—talk about second acts.
Aronofsky's Steep Fall Caught Stealing's 59% drop hurts; Aronofsky's bold vision deserved better, but audiences ghosted it anyway.
Franchise Fatigue? Not Here With Fantastic Four and Superman still chugging, comic-book cinema clings on, while faith flicks like Light of the World niche their way in.
Upcoming Challengers The Long Walk and Downton Abbey loom next weekend—King's dread versus period charm; neither may topple Conjuring's throne.
What hit you hardest about this weekend's shake-up? Drop your takes below—I'm all ears, or eyes, whatever.
Weekend Box Office Table (September 5-7, 2025)
| Rank | Film | Weekend Gross | Cumulative Domestic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Conjuring: Last Rites | $83M | $83M |
| 2 | Hamilton (film adaptation) | $10M | $10M |
| 3 | Weapons | $5.3M | $143M |
| 4 | Freakier Friday | $3.8M | $87M |
| 5 | Caught Stealing | $3.2M | $14M |
| 6 | The Roses | $2.8M | $12.28M |
| 7 | Fantastic Four: First Steps | $2.7M | $270M |
| 8 | The Bad Guys 2 | $2.4M | $77M |
| 9 | Light of the World | $2.4M | $2.4M |
| 10 | Superman | $1M | $353M |
Source: Deadline
