The latest entry in the popular horror franchise, “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” brings the larger-than-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren back for what is billed as their final adventure. Portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the real-life couple have been the anchors of a nine-film blockbuster series that originated with “The Conjuring” in 2013, solidifying their status as genre icons. This new installment, with a 15 rating and a runtime of 135 minutes, sees the Warrens initially out of the game, lecturing to small audiences, before being drawn back into a deeply personal case.

“Last Rites” diverges from the franchise's typical formula of bland families, offering a narrower focus on its marquee characters. The story draws from one of the Warrens’ most publicized cases: the Smurls, a three-generation Pennsylvania family experiencing severe paranormal activity. The film cleverly integrates its actors into a re-enactment of the real Smurls’ famous Larry King interview. Crucially, it adds a direct link to the Warrens by having the Smurls haunted by a cursed mirror that Ed and Lorraine first encountered at the beginning of their careers, just hours before their daughter Judy’s birth. Decades later, Judy (Mia Tomlinson) struggles with the clairvoyant abilities inherited from her mother, while her ex-cop fiancé (Ben Hardy) finds himself embroiled in the supernatural events. Ed, who lacks visions, has built his career on trusting Lorraine's abilities: “She sees; he believes.”

While the “Conjuring” franchise has delivered its share of scares, it has often been criticized as a generic and sappy series, where the eclectic Warrens consistently upstage the families they are meant to assist. “Last Rites” attempts to mitigate some of this generic filler by centering the narrative on the Warrens themselves, making the haunted child their own. Director Michael Chaves, who also helmed previous entries like “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” and the spin-off “The Nun II,” shows improved form with a few commanding images, though he still tends to overcook pivotal scares, such as an unnatural flashback during the film's climax. The series, at its heart, has always been faith-based, taking the Warrens’ unorthodox Christian counseling at face value. However, by turning the Warrens into the case subjects and making the Smurls increasingly peripheral, the film risks diminishing the stakes, as there is little doubt about the Warrens' unwavering faith. This over-investment in its most reliable creation, the Warrens, potentially signals that the highly derivative horror series is past its utility.

Despite mixed critical reviews and the inherent challenges of extending a long-running franchise, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” achieved sensational box office success. It collected $83 million in its first weekend of release domestically, setting a new opening weekend record for Warner Bros. and New Line’s “Conjuring” universe, surpassing 2018’s “The Nun.” This performance also marked the best start of the year for a horror movie and the third-largest for the genre in box office history. Internationally, the film earned an additional $104 million from 66 territories, leading to a stunning global launch of $187 million. These combined ticket sales cemented the “Conjuring” universe as the highest-grossing horror franchise in history, with a cumulative total of $2.3 billion across nine films (including spin-offs like “Annabelle” and “The Nun”).

The film’s commercial triumph, produced for $55 million, has generated significant profit margins and extended a remarkable box office streak for Warner Bros., marking its seventh consecutive release to open above $40 million—a first for any Hollywood studio. This dramatic turnaround comes after a challenging period for the studio, which saw underperformers like “Joker: Folie a Deux” and “Mickey 17.” “Last Rites” contributed to a robust rebound that included hits like “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” “Final Destination Bloodlines,” “F1: The Movie,” “Superman,” and “Weapons.” This success has alleviated pressure on Warner Bros.'s upcoming releases, demonstrating the continued allure of horror, strong word-of-mouth, and the enduring appeal of the Ed and Lorraine Warren characters to audiences worldwide. The impressive box office figures strongly suggest that despite being billed as the final installment, the Warrens' ghost-busting days may not be over after all.