17 Years After the MCU Started, the Closest Competition Isn’t the Franchise You Think

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When the Marvel Cinematic Universe started in 2008 with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, few imagined it would become the most successful movie franchise ever. Marvel didn’t have much going for it – they only owned the rights to characters other studios weren’t interested in, and their funding came with a huge risk: if the MCU failed, Merrill Lynch would have taken control of Marvel. Despite these challenges, the gamble paid off. Over the course of 37 films, the MCU has earned more than $32 billion worldwide.

After the huge success of The Avengers in 2012 demonstrated the potential of large, connected movie franchises, Hollywood studios started trying to replicate that model. While many attempted to create their own cinematic universes, most haven’t succeeded. So far, only The Conjuring franchise has come close to achieving the same level of success as the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

How The Conjuring Became a Universe When Countless Others Failed

In 2013, Warner Bros. attempted to launch a shared cinematic universe with the film Man of Steel. However, just a month later, James Wan’s horror movie The Conjuring arrived, introducing audiences to the real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Despite a relatively small $20 million budget, The Conjuring earned over $316 million worldwide. The film quickly became known for its strong performances by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, and for introducing the terrifying doll Annabelle.

As a horror fan, I wasn’t surprised when The Conjuring got a sequel – that’s just what happens with successful scary movies! Just over a year later, we got Annabelle, which did well enough to kickstart what felt like its own little cinematic universe, kind of like the Marvel movies. Then The Conjuring 2 came out in 2016 and was another hit, but it also expanded the story by introducing Valek, aka The Nun – a really memorable villain. Looking at the box office, the three Annabelle films have collectively made over $794 million worldwide, and the two Nun movies have brought in a solid $635 million. It’s amazing to see how much these films have resonated with audiences!

The Conjuring stood out from other horror films because of its monsters. While the film benefited from well-known actors and strong direction, it was the villains – Annabelle and The Nun – that truly captured the public’s imagination. They quickly became iconic figures, reaching a level of recognition similar to classic horror villains like Pennywise and Freddy Krueger, and audiences clearly love seeing their terrifying stories unfold on screen.

What sets The Conjuring universe apart from other franchises is how cleverly it connects its films. Movies like Annabelle happen before the events of The Conjuring, and Annabelle Creation actually tells the origin story of Annabelle. Even The Nun revisits a scene from The Conjuring, revealing a deeper connection than viewers might realize. This interconnectedness is the series’ strength: each film tells a complete story on its own, but watching them all adds up to a larger, more rewarding narrative.

The Conjuring Franchise Is the Closest Thing to the MCU (But Its Success Is Still Far Off)

The Conjuring Universe currently includes nine films (ten if you include the somewhat related movie The Curse of La Llorona) and has earned over $2.8 billion at the box office. While that’s less than the Marvel Cinematic Universe has made, it’s still a significant accomplishment, and there are a few reasons why it’s worth paying attention to.

The nine Conjuring movies were made for a total of a little over $260 million. This is less than the production cost of many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films – for example, Avengers: Endgame cost around $400 million to make, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 reportedly cost $250 million. While The Conjuring series hasn’t earned as much money overall as Marvel’s films, it’s been more profitable relative to its cost, which helps explain its lasting success.

One key to the success of The Conjuring franchise, besides its popularity, is its consistency. Since 2013, a new movie has come out almost every year – the only other film series besides the Marvel Cinematic Universe to achieve this. While there were no new releases in 2015, 2020, 2022, or 2024, the consistent stream of films has kept the series engaging. Each new installment isn’t always a direct sequel, but it always feels connected to the larger story and universe of The Conjuring.

Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Conjuring series, Legendary’s MonsterVerse shares some similarities. However, while it started with reboots of Godzilla and Kong that eventually led to their crossover in Godzilla vs Kong, the series has now become focused solely on team-ups between these two titans. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has set the stage for the next installment, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, and it’s clear that the franchise has moved beyond being a broader cinematic universe – it’s now essentially a Godzilla x Kong series.

The success of The Conjuring speaks for itself, and its continued performance proves that. This year’s release, The Conjuring: Last Rites (available on HBO Max), was initially promoted as the last film in the series. However, despite feeling like a grand finale similar to Avengers: Endgame, the movie became the highest-earning film in the franchise, bringing in over $494 million. This success has led to plans for another installment. While Marvel is hoping its upcoming films will revitalize its cinematic universe, The Conjuring franchise is clearly continuing to thrive.

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2025-11-21 22:11