‘Normie’ Horror Franchise ‘Conjuring: Last Rites’ Kills at Box Office

It’s not Halloween season yet, but a horror film franchise just shocked Hollywood.

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” earned a stunning $83 million in its opening weekend domestically, adding another $100+ million in overseas markets.

To quote the great philosopher Ted “Theodore” Logan, “Whoa…”

The fourth and allegedly final film in the saga stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as the Warrens, professional demon hunters who learn their adult daughter may have just joined the family business.

Yikes.

The team behind the series has suggested this would be the last big-screen close-up for the Warrens. The movie’s waning moments underline that point.

Now? They would be crazy not to consider a fifth chapter given these results.

Here are the opening weekends for the previous “Conjuring” installments and their final U.S. hauls:

• “The Conjuring” (2013) – $41 million/$137 million
• “The Conjuring 2” (2016) – $40 million/$102 million
• “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (2021) – $24 million/$65 million

“Last Rite’s” success is startling for several reasons. The film hit theaters in early September, typically a quieter time for Hollywood product. Halloween remains nearly two months away, robbing it of the season’s sentimental sway.

The franchise’s box office trajectory suggested a modest debut, although the third installment hit theaters while COVID-19 was still keeping some audiences away from the cineplex.

Some recent horror films, like “Weapons,” arrived with heavy buzz. “Last Rites” boasted little of that enthusiasm and scored modest reviews – it currently sits at a tepid 55 percent “rotten” score.

What’s the franchise’s secret sauce? The storylines appeal to the “normie” market, faith-friendly crowds who appreciate seeing a loving couple on screen.

Yes, Ed and Lorraine Warren may battle evil spirits by day, but they remain one of cinema’s most devoted duos. They care deeply for each other, offer unconditional support in times of duress and appear blissfully married in quieter moments.

They’re aggressively normal … even though they have a room dedicated to haunted artifacts.

Who doesn’t?

RELATED: ‘CONJURING 2’ SCRIBE REVEALS SCARE SECRETS

“The Conjuring” franchise taps into an underserved market. Rom-coms are in decline. Indie films celebrate LGBTQ bonds and the occasional throuple. Here comes a franchise that treats marriage with dignity and respect.

Best of all? The film introduces a new romance to the saga. Daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson) is being wooed by Tony (Ben Hardy), an earnest ex-cop. In one emotional scene, Tony asks Judy’s parents for their permission to marry her.

It’s neither cynical nor heavy-handed. It reflects a cultural moment many have experienced in one way or another. And it’s rarely captured on screen.

The fact that Tony wants to marry into a family full of demon hunters adds a layer of gentle humor to the scenario.

Those old-fashioned values may be catnip to some, but they pushed one critic to attack the film’s central thesis:

What’s most striking about Last Rites is not the uneven plotting but the overt emphasis on religious heroism and traditional values. The Conjuring films have always leaned into Catholic imagery, but here that iconography is pushed further than ever before. The Church is framed as a kind of unquestionable savior, its rituals elevated to near-superheroic stature. Coupled with a recurring emphasis on the sanctity of the nuclear family, the film often plays like a sermon as much as a horror story.

The critic also complains about a scene where Lorraine cooks in the kitchen. The horror, the horror!

This may turn off some film critics, but audiences appreciate the film’s old-school values, according to the huge box office tally.