The Conjuring: Last Rites has received excellent test scores, according to New Line's president, who also gave a promidate on the future of the shared universe. The Conjuring franchise started in 2013 with the titular movie, which followed married paranormal investigators, Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson), who look into prominent hauntings. The franchise has evolved into a shared universe of eight movies, including The Nun franchise and the Annabelle film trilogy. The ninth installment, The Conjuring: Last Rites, is due for release on September 5.

Per THR, New Line boss Richard Brener has revealed that The Conjuring: Last Rites is testing "through the roof." He stated that, while the movie is still in the early stages of development, it is scoring really well, and that although the movie marks the end of The Conjuring Phase One, "Phase two is TBD." Check out Brener's comments below:

It’s testing through the roof and we’re only at the director’s cut, the 10-week part of the movie where you’re normally very, very scared about the status of your film. We’re very early in the process, have very preliminary visual effects, but it’s already through the roof. So while this is last of what we call phase one, we are hopeful that we can make more.

What This Means For The Conjuring: Last Rites

Phase One's Final Installment Could Set Up The Next Phase

Based on Brener's comments, The Conjuring: Last Rites could be a big success for the franchise and is already generating positive responses. The movie will seek to tie up any loose ends in the Warrens' story while making for a satisfying conclusion to what has come before. However, as Brener says, the drive to make more movies in the shared universe will need to be taken into when considering The Conjuring 4's cast and story. It will be important for the movie to try to set up The Conjuring Phase Two in a way that feels satisfying to audiences, as well as providing plenty more stories to tell.

As successful as The Conjuring movies have been, Last Rites feels like a natural conclusion to the original franchise and a great way to give the characters the send-off they deserve while also paving the way for future expanded universe movies.

The movie is clearly still coming together and will need to undergo edits before it hits theaters, but so far, there is reason to remain optimistic. Fans of the franchise will no doubt be keen to see how Ed and Lorraine's stories will end and whether the movie can set up future installments in a way that fits into the universe and enriches the franchise. Brener's desire to kick-off a second phase of Conjuring movies could begin with the final movie from Phase One, perhaps with an ominous teaser at the end or a new horrifying entity.

Our Take On The Conjuring's Future

The Movie Will Look To Round Out One Of Horror's Strongest Franchises

As successful as The Conjuring movies have been, Last Rites feels like a natural conclusion to the original franchise and a great way to give the characters the send-off they deserve while also paving the way for future expanded universe movies. The Nun 3 could be in the works at some point in the future, and that's only the beginning of what could come. As for The Conjuring: Last Rites, this will signal the conclusion to one of horror's strongest franchises, so it's a relief to hear early responses are positive.

Source: THR