The horror sequel stars Taissa Farmiga, Bonnie Aarons, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, and Anna Popplewell.
The Big Picture
- The Nun II has continued the success of the horror genre in 2023, earning $4 million internationally and crossing the $250 million milestone worldwide.
- The positive reviews of The Nun II can be attributed to its creative script and sharp visuals, with the final 20 minutes being some of the franchise’s finest.
- The success of The Nun II has benefitted the horror genre as a whole, with other films like Saw X and The Exorcist: Believer also performing well at the box office.
The horror genre continues to dominate 2023 with franchise performances in particular having been strong across the board. There has been no better example of this than The Nun II. The eighth official film in The Conjuring universe is in its sixth weekend of release and has made an additional $4 million from 76 markets overseas. That brings the international total up to $173.5 million with an impressive weekly drop of only 43%.
This was helped by the sequel opening in Japan this weekend. The Nun II made $426,000 on 255 screens. This made it the second-largest opening for the franchise in the territory only behind 2019’s Annabelle Comes Home. On top of that, the sequel’s worldwide total has now crossed the $250 million milestone, earning $257.2 million. This has made it one of the biggest genre releases of the year.
One of the reasons The Nun II has been successful is because reviews for the film have been very positive. This has to do with an insanely creative script co-written by Akela Cooper (Malignant, M3GAN) and director Michael Chaves’ (The Conjuring 3) sharp visuals. The filmmakers gave returning character Sister Irene, played once again by Taissa Farmiga, a lot more character weight this time around which only adds to the horror once the gleefully deranged third act starts. Featuring a goat man and some of the best suspense of the year, the final 20 minutes of The Nun II are some of the franchise’s finest.
The Horror Genre Made an Impression at the Box Office in 2023
Moviegoers have responded to that, especially with Halloween right around the corner. However, it also didn’t hurt that horror is in a really great place right now. M3GAN, Scream VI, Evil Dead Rise, The Boogeyman, and Talk to Me are just a few of the horrifyingly shining examples of the genre’s major box office successes. Despite The Nun II being on digital for a few weeks now, good word of mouth has made people want to go to a theater to scream bloody murder. That has also inadvertently helped other releases like Saw X and The Exorcist: Believer take demonic possession of the box office in the last few weeks.
The Nun II is in theaters and on digital now. Also, the sequel will be released on 4K and Blu-ray this November. With the universe continuing with The Conjuring: Last Rites and an untitled Max TV series, Valak has given new life to this decade old franchise. Stay tuned to Collider for updates.
