James Wan’s Conjuring franchise has been both a critical darling, and a box office success. Telling the real-life stories of the Warren case files, the paranormal horror films have made almost $640 million in the US box office alone.
With that kind of success, it’s no surprise that Warner Bros. gave a third installment the green light.
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It’s exciting to see another Conjuring film on the way, but one has to ask:
Is it a good idea?
At some point, every horror franchise falls apart. Some take several movies to do so, while others start breaking down in movie number two. Traditionally speaking, producing multiple films in a horror franchise runs the risk of creating a critical flop.
On top of that, James Wan has suddenly become very pre-occupied with another franchise. The acclaimed director is in charge of the upcoming Aquaman film for DC, and working in a connected universe like that automatically takes up an enormous amount of time.
Now, this hasn’t stopped Wan in the past. If you recall, the director also helmed the seventh film in the Fast & Furious franchise in-between the first two Conjuring films.
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On top of everything, there are already multiple Conjuring spin-offs out there in development. Annabelle was a box office hit, and its second installation hit theaters in August. There’s also a film focused on The Nun from The Conjuring 2 currently in pre-production.
With everything going on, it seems like The Conjuring 3 isn’t really necessary. However, the first two films have been beautiful nods to classic horror films that haven’t been seen for quite some time. There are some popular indie films that manage to capture the magic of old, but the two Conjuring movies have been the only big studio films to get it right.
Some things are beaten into the ground, and don’t end until it’s far too late. But three films definitely isn’t too many. If Wan can make The Conjuring 3 as good as the first two, it would be the perfect ending to a wonderful trilogy.
Bring on another Conjuring film, it’s the horror project we’re all hoping for.
