Bloody Hell, The Conjuring: Last Rites Just Broke Records, So Here Comes Another One (Surprise!)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Despite *The Conjuring: Last Rites* being billed as the end, its record-breaking box office success has Hollywood already plotting a new prequel, amidst legal battles over creator James Wan's involvement.
Bloody hell, mate, have you been keeping an eye on the box office charts lately? Because *The Conjuring: Last Rites* just pulled a move so audacious, it’s like a rogue dev launching a triple-A title without a single bug – completely unbelievable, and yet, here we are.
Turns out, this latest instalment in James Wan's supernatural saga absolutely smashed it, raking in a mind-boggling $194 million worldwide during its opening weekend. That's not just 'a lot of money', that’s 'biggest opening weekend in horror movie history' money, according to a report by Samantha Nelson over at Polygon. It even leapfrogged *It* (2017) off its spooky throne. Talk about a high score run!
Now, here's the kicker: *Last Rites* was billed as, well, the *last rites* for the franchise. The grand finale. The closing chapter for Ed and Lorraine Warren's ghost-busting adventures. You know, like when a long-running MMO announces its final expansion – a bittersweet farewell, a chance to reflect on the journey, maybe even shed a tear or two. Except, in Hollywood, 'final' usually means 'until the next massive pile of cash lands on the CEO's desk'. And fair dinkum, did a massive pile of cash land.
So, what's Tinseltown's response to an ending that performs *too* well? If you guessed 'more beginnings', then congratulations, you've clearly been playing this game for a while. Polygon's report cites Puck, suggesting that New Line is already plotting a *new Conjuring prequel*. Not just any prequel, mind you, but one separate from the existing *Annabelle* spin-off prequels (yes, there's more than one) and a *Conjuring* spin-off show for HBO Max that's already in the works. My word, it’s like they’ve unlocked a new branch in the skill tree, but instead of exciting new abilities, it’s just... more prequels. How many origin stories can one cinematic universe sustain before it starts eating its own tail, eh? It makes you wonder if they're trying to out-level *Saw* or something.
But here's where it gets really juicy, like a boss battle with a hidden mechanic. The original maestro behind *The Conjuring*, James Wan, might not be fully on board for this next phase. While he's remained a producer on the whole terrifying universe, he hasn't actually directed a *Conjuring* film since 2016's *The Conjuring 2*. And now, according to Polygon's article, there's a bit of a ghostly skirmish brewing behind the scenes.
See, Wan's production company, Atomic Monster, recently merged with Blumhouse Productions – basically, two horror titans joining forces. Great for them, right? Well, apparently, this has created some 'added legal tension' with Warner Bros. (the studio that owns *The Conjuring*). It seems Mr. Wan has been fighting with Warner Bros. over what cut he should get from all these future productions. Imagine building an incredible game world, watching it explode in popularity, and then having the publisher try to cut you out of the loot drops for future expansions. It’s a tale as old as time, or at least as old as IP ownership disputes.
It’s a classic Hollywood conundrum: Do you pay the creator his due for the universe he conjured up, or do you try to 'exorcise' him from the equation altogether and hope the franchise’s raw box office power carries it? Warner Bros. is clearly looking at that $194 million opening and seeing dollar signs brighter than any demon-luring artefact. They reckon the franchise has an 'unholy box office power' that can transcend any creative differences. And honestly, they're probably not wrong, at least in the short term. Players will still queue up for the next level, won't they?
This whole situation really highlights the underlying tension between artistic vision and pure commercialism in big-budget entertainment. We gamers see it all the time – beloved series getting annualised, creative leads leaving studios, or monetisation schemes getting shoehorned into games that don't need 'em. It makes you wonder: at what point does chasing the dragon of record-breaking profits start to dilute the very magic that made the original spell work? Is 'more' always 'better', or are we headed for a world where *The Conjuring* franchise becomes less a tight, terrifying narrative and more a never-ending gacha game of jump scares? It’s a thought, isn’t it?
Tags: horror games, film adaptation, gaming industry, franchise management, monetization
Original article: Polygon