Last Rites Director Confirms The Fate Of The Franchise Despite Record-Breaking Box Office

The Conjuring: Last Rites‘ director has confirmed the fate of the horror franchise, even with the record-breaking box office numbers.

Director Michael Chaves confirmed in an interview with ComicBook that this is the last film in the franchise. “It is done. This is the final chapter – that’s why we called it Last Rites. It’s the last one. There’s no other Conjuring movies. It is absolutely the end.” This comes as a shock to fans due to its staggering performance at the box office.

The Conjuring franchise debuted over a decade ago and became one of the most successful and popular horror universes. The films follow paranormal investigators Ed (played by Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (played by Vera Farmiga), based on real-life investigations. Each film recounts a different adventure the couple allegedly endured.

The horror movies and spin-offs had a combined total of over $2 billion at the box office worldwide. The Conjuring: Last Rites had a franchise record-breaking opening weekend with a total of $83 million despite fans debating whether the film was a worthy send-off for such a major series.

The Conjuring: Last Rites currently has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59%. The Conjuring (2013) debuted with a much warmer reception and has an 86% rating. However, the third installment also has a disappointing rating of 56%.

Lili Taylor as Carolyn screaming while holding onto a door frame in The Conjuring

Last Rites follows the Warrens on their final outing in Pennsylvania as they conquer a demon and rid it from a family home. However, this demon will be connected to Lorraine’s past. Many of the reviews state it’s a “touching finale” and has “good scares”. Unfortunately, there are a few bad reviews, including that there are too many clichés and not what they expected.

Despite Chaves’ statement ending the hopes of fans, there is potential for The Conjuring franchise to be resurrected. Due to its undeniable success, there are potential avenues to explore, including the successful spin-off movies The Nun and Annabelle.

Farmiga has officially said goodbye to Lorraine Warren. She is known for her roles in The Departed, Orphan, and Bates Motel. She is set to appear in The Billion Dollar Spy alongside Russell Crowe and Willa Fitzgerald. Wilson also waved farewell to the franchise as Ed and is known for his roles in Insidious and The Phantom of the Opera.