The North American box office opened September with a surge, reinvigorating a previously sluggish summer season. Warner Bros. once again provided the boost, with “The Conjuring: The Final Rite” debuting to a record-breaking opening of $83 million domestically and $187 million globally. The international haul of $104 million from 66 territories, including Italy, powered the strong worldwide performance.
With nine films to its name—including spin-offs “Annabelle” and “The Nun”—the Conjuring Universe has solidified its status as the highest-grossing horror franchise of all time, with a total global gross of $2.3 billion. With a production cost of $55 million, this chapter directed by Michael Chaves marks the best international debut ever for a horror film, surpassing the $92 million opening of Warner’s “It Chapter Two.”
The historic studio now leads the 2025 global box office with $3.8 billion in total earnings ($2 billion from international markets and $1.8 billion domestic). After the poor performances of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” “Mickey 17,” and “The Alto Knights,” Warner Bros. rebounded with a string of successes including April’s “A Minecraft Movie,” “Sinners,” “Final Destination Bloodlines,” Apple’s “F1: The Movie,” “Superman,” and “Weapons.” These victories alleviate pressure on the studio’s next major venture, Paul Thomas Anderson’s $130 million film “One Battle After Another,” slated for a late September release.
A distant second at the box office was the filmed version of the musical “Hamilton,” which earned $10 million—a respectable sum considering the Broadway recording has been available on Disney+ since 2020.
The North American top five was filled by holdover titles. The horror film “Weapons” collected $5.3 million in its third weekend, bringing its totals to $143 million domestically and $251 million globally. They are followed by “That Crazy Friday, Crazier Still” with $3.8 million and “An Inconvenient Circumstance” with $3.2 million, in their fifth and second weekends respectively. The sequel to Disney’s 2003 comedy starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan continues to post decent results with $87 million domestic and $142 million worldwide. Conversely, Darren Aronofsky’s crime caper has failed to connect with audiences, stalling at $15 million in North America and $24 million globally.