Only One Horror Franchise Has Grossed Over $2 Billion At The Box Office

The horror genre is well-regarded in cinema as the closest thing to a guaranteed money-maker there is, at least where non-IP is concerned. Horror movies in general have a built-in fan base who are always willing (if not eager) to go check out the latest supernatural thriller, throwback slasher, zombie flick, or whatever other scares are in store. However, one of the other staples of the genre is its thriftiness — you don't need a huge budget to make an effective and successful horror movie, and that in turn makes it more possible for the movie to be successful at the box office. Although most horror movies turn a healthy profit, you don't tend to see too many reaching the same lofty financial heights as the average multi-million dollar blockbuster.

The closest horror movies come to earning billions of dollars is when they're part of a successful franchise, and sometimes not even then. To date, there are just a handful of cinematic horror franchises to cross the $1 billion mark and only one that has achieved the impressive feat of earning over $2 billion cumulatively. While some may assume that title could belong to a long-running series (like "Halloween") or a culturally beloved one (like "Scream"), it turns out that it's "The Conjuring" series that has earned all that dough over the mere 12 years it has been running. Why has this franchise been such a financial windfall above so many others? Like the Warrens, we're going to try and suss out the spooky truth.

The Conjuring Universe was able to achieve this financial milestone in a number of ways. First and foremost, it's a franchise that contains multiple franchises, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There's the main three "The Conjuring" films, the "Annabelle" series (which has three films), and "The Nun" series (which has two films), not to mention the de-canonized but still clearly related spin-off "The Curse of La Llorona." Contrary to other long-running, lore-heavy movie franchises, each of the installments in the Conjuring Universe works very well as a jumping-on-point. Though the movies do share characters and make reference to prior or future events, each film is its own self-contained story, enough to not alienate first-time viewers.

Moreover, the Conjuring Universe movies contain a variety of creative approaches to the material while remaining tonally consistent with each other. Except for the two directors who've made multiple entries in the series (James Wan with two, Michael Chaves with three), the movies all sport different filmmakers, allowing for some variety within the series' house style. There's the heartfelt romance and drama of the "Conjuring" films, the haunted house thrills of the "Annabelle" series, and the Gothic, European adventure horror of the "Nun" films. There's a reason why the first "The Nun" is the highest-grossing movie in the franchise; it's the most unique entry, but it also builds off the demon nun's first appearance in "The Conjuring 2," thus making it appealing to newcomers and fans alike.

Surrounding all this variety is a consistency of tone, at least when it comes to scares. None of the Conjuring Universe films are gore fests, relying instead on the building and releasing of tension within an eerie atmosphere. In other words, these movies aren't the "endurance test" type of horror, but they aren't watered-down either, as every entry in the series is rated R, essentially for reasons of cumulative intensity. With each film in the series, there's an implicit promise to the audience that they'll have fun and won't be disturbed, but that they'll genuinely be scared, too. That's pretty much the sweet spot for luring general audiences into horror, and the Conjuring Universe has clearly perfected it.

In addition to presenting general audiences with a spooky good time, the Conjuring Universe has a killer app up its sleeve. The series is based on the life and times of Ed and Lorraine Warren (played in the films by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), who are arguably the most famous paranormal investigators in history. In some circles, the Warrens are considered pioneers in their field, while in others, they're considered to be frauds. Those in the latter camp are split on what types of frauds they were: whether they deliberately perpetrated hoaxes, or whether they were well-meaning but misguided people who lacked evidence for their claims. In addition to this, there was also the revelation in 2017 that the real Ed Warren was alleged to have had a sexual relationship with an underage girl in the 1960s that Lorraine knew about.

One might think that all this controversy could have derailed the "Conjuring" films, but the reverse is clearly true. Surely there's a section of the audience who barely knows that Ed and Lorraine were real people, but those who are aware — to whatever degree — clearly find the "Based on a true story" aspect to the movies a draw more than a deterrent. Even folks who might believe in the Warrens' claims and work understand the "Conjuring" films to be heavily fictionalized, yet the potential veracity of any aspect of the movies is just too seductive.

It's this sense of truthiness (to borrow a term from Stephen Colbert) that gives the Conjuring Universe a leg up on the competition. Consider the next highest-grossing horror franchise, the "Alien" series: those films have a similar relationship between consistency and originality, with each entry having its own identity yet containing enough crossover elements to be rewarding as a whole. The biggest difference is that "Alien" is not based in any fact (thank goodness), while some parts of "The Conjuring" and its spinoffs may have happened. While there's no piece of media that conclusively presents footage or proof of the existence of paranormal phenomenon, the Conjuring Universe is the closest thing to it by proxy. And, after all, who wouldn't pay money to see that?