Anticipation was high for The Conjuring: Last Rites, but not all fans are enjoying Ed and Lorraine Warren’s final case. Ever since its release on September 5, reviews for The Conjuring: Last Rites have been somewhat disappointing. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has a critics’ score of 57% and an audience score of 79%.
This audience score is actually quite respectable, but it’s still lower than the previous three Conjuring movies. It proves that many audience members have felt quite underwhelmed by the end of The Conjuring: Last Rites. This is unfortunate, especially since the film is inspired by one of the most popular paranormal cases from the 20th century.
In Last Rites, Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to Pennsylvania to help the Smurl family, who are being haunted by a demon. For this case, the Warrens are joined by their daughter, Judy, and her fiancé, Tony. It’s obviously great to see the Warrens onscreen again, but let’s explore why audiences are more split on Last Rites than they have been for previous Conjuring movies.
Audiences Are More Split On Last Rites Than Previous Conjuring Movies
As seen in the table below, the previous three Conjuring movies all have Rotten Tomatoes audience scores higher than 80%, but Last Rites unfortunately couldn’t continue this trend. It’s worth noting that Last Rites still has a higher audience score than other Conjuring spinoff films, so it’s not necessarily one of the franchise’s worst movies. Still, fans clearly have problems with it.
|
The Conjuring Movies |
Worldwide Box Office |
RT Critics Score |
RT Audience Score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Conjuring (2013) |
$320,422,209 |
86% |
83% |
|
The Conjuring 2 (2016) |
$322,819,915 |
80% |
82% |
|
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) |
$206,444,123 |
56% |
83% |
|
The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) |
$243,601,226 (so far) |
57% |
79% |
So, why exactly do audiences not like Last Rites as much as the previous three Conjuring movies? Before diving into the plot of The Conjuring: Last Rites, it must be mentioned that it was marketed as the final movie in the franchise. Therefore, there’s a chance that many fans went into it with incredibly high expectations that were never going to be met.
However, this isn’t to say that the plot of Last Rites doesn’t have some weak points. Ever since its release, fans have voiced their frustrations with the plot. Most notably, many are upset that the main demon in The Conjuring: Last Rites is never seen in full and doesn’t even get an official name.
There have been several memorable and terrifying demonic enтιтies in the Conjuring franchise. Bathsheba from the first movie and Valak from The Conjuring 2 and The Nun are both incredibly scary. Both of these demons kept audiences on the edge of their seats in their respective films, but the same can’t be said for the unnamed demon in Last Rites.
Instead of seeing Ed, Lorraine, Judy, and Tony take on a horrifying demon during the movie’s climax, audiences are forced to watch them face a mirror. That’s definitely not the thrilling ending to the Conjuring franchise that fans were expecting. In addition to the main demon being very forgettable, some have also noted that the Smurls are not featured in Last Rites enough.
In fact, the Smurls are completely sidelined in favor of the Warrens, which doesn’t do justice to the real-life case. By focusing on the Warrens, The Conjuring: Last Rites feels more like a family drama, rather than a horror movie. Overall, audiences have simply been bored and underwhelmed by The Conjuring: Last Rites, which is why it has a slightly lower audience score.
The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Divisive Reaction Isn’t Hurting The Film So Far
Thankfully, the lower score isn’t translating to a disappointing box office. As of this writing, Last Rites has grossed $243 million globally (via Box Office Mojo), which is incredibly impressive since it has only been out for just over a week. It seems this franchise has enough stature to withstand even poor word-of-mouth, which bodes well for the property’s overall future.
Before its release, The Conjuring: Last Rites was expected to earn about $50 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. However, it easily surpᴀssed this projection and made $84 million domestically. Additionally, the movie grossed $110 million in international markets, making its total opening weekend box office haul a whopping $194 million.
The movie’s opening weekend box office haul set a franchise record by surpᴀssing 2018’s The Nun, which made $131 million in its first three days. Even more impressive, The Conjuring: Last Rites had the highest-grossing opening weekend of all time for a horror movie. To attain this record, the film dethroned 2017’s It, which made $189.4 million during its opening weekend.
The Long Walk, the most recent Stephen King adaptation, gives it some compeтιтion this weekend, but The Conjuring: Last Rites should continue to dominate the box office for many more weeks. Based on its box office performance so far, it wouldn’t be surprising if Last Rites becomes one of the highest-grossing movies of the year.
Therefore, even though its story has been picked apart by some, people still have the desire to see The Conjuring: Last Rites on the big screen. As one of the most popular horror properties of the past decade, it has built up a lot of goodwill over the years, and viewers are still eager to send it off properly.
