'Conjuring: Last Rites' Nabs $8.5M At Thursday Box Office

The (allegedly) final chapter in New Line's blockbuster supernatural saga began with its biggest preview grosses ever for what should be a franchise-high opening weekend.

Warner Bros. and New Line’s The Conjuring: Last Rites began its domestic box office sprint with a rousing $8.5 million in Thursday previews. That’s — even sans inflation — the biggest Thursday (or Tuesday, as was the case with Annabelle Comes Home in June 2019) preview gross yet for the 12-year-old and (give or take Curse of La Llorona) nine- or ten-film supernatural franchise. If this is really the finale, then Michael Chaves’ The Conjuring Universe looks to be going out in a blaze of glory.

Just running the comparisons (and frankly tossing out Annabelle, which earned a shockingly high 17.6x its Thursday gross amid its opening weekend, only to earn just 2.27x its domestic debut), The Conjuring: Last Rites is looking at an opening weekend between $74 million and $108 million. If that seems insane, then note that even a 15% Thursday-to-weekend performance would give this $55 million finale a franchise-best $57 million Fri-Sun launch. Even Twilight Saga-level frontloading (around 20% of the weekend on Thursday) gives Conjuring 4 a $43 million launch.