Warner Bros. Discovery are currently knee-deep in restructuring one of their biggest franchises, the DC Cinematic Universe, after a series of financial failures and poor reviews from fans and critics alike. The arrivals of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the co-CEO’s of DC Studios, a new division of the company designed to mirror the structure that Marvel Studios has at the Walt Disney Company, were the first in a series of extensive changes that look to completely reshape the future of this movie universe.
Clearly, the DCU needs a reboot of some sort, withBlack Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, andThe Flashall releasing within the last year but failing to excite fans or reviewers, leading to underwhelming box office performances. Warner Bros. has spent a lot of time now trying to get this franchise right, believing it to hold the same sort of potential that the Marvel Cinematic Universe does. While their focus on DC seems to be well-placed, it’s important to note that the studio already has a successful franchise in the form of the Conjuring universe. Beginning in 2013, the Conjuring universe has expanded over the years to feature a vast number of spooky threats, such as the Nun and Annabelle the doll, and has raked in over $2 billion at the worldwide box office.
RELATED:A World War Z 2 Could Vastly Improve Upon The Original
What is the Conjuring Universe?
The Conjuring Universe is a series ofinterconnected horror filmsthat all co-exist in the same world, just as the Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes and their subsequent films take place in the same world. As stated previously, the universe began in 2013 with its first film,The Conjuring, which was directed by James Wan (who, ironically enough, went on to helm twoAquamanfilms for the DC universe) and starred Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. The film centered on two real-life paranormal investigators who, in the films, encounter a series of threatening evil beings.
This franchise began with the story of a family being tormented by an evil spirit, but has grown to incorporate different threats and other heroes. Annabelle, an evil doll who appeared in the first film, was the first off-shootin this movie universe, and has since received a trilogy of films as a result. There have also been two subsequentConjuringfilms since the release of the original as well asThe Curse of La Llorona, which wasn’t marketed as being set in this world but was used as a reveal/plot twist of sorts during the movie. Finally,The Nun, which centers on a demonic nun by the name of Valak, is the other major part of this movie universe.The Nun IIis set for release later this month and is tracking to make a decent amount of money at the worldwide box office, so this franchise is clearly still in a position of great strength. Other spin-offs have also been mentioned, such a story focused on the Crooked Man, another villain in these movies.
How to watch the Conjuring universe movies in order
The Conjuringmovies take place over a number of years andhave occasionally been non-linear(the earlyAnnabellefilms andThe Nunare prime examples of this). Because of that, audiences have a choice as to how they want to watch this movie universe in order. Viewers can opt for the release date order, which begins withThe Conjuring(2013) and is followed byAnnabelle, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle: Creation, The Nun, The Curse of La Llorona, Annabelle Comes Home, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,andThe Nun II.However, as stated, the order of the key events of the films chronologically isn’t the same as the release date order.
If a viewer wanted to watch the films in chronological order, they would begin withThe Nun,which takes place in 1952, before following that up withThe Nun II.From there, they’d watchAnnabelle: Creation,followed byAnnabelle, thenThe Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, The Curse of La Llorona, Annabelle Comes Home,andThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Viewers could also focus on one monster at a time, such as Annabelle. The Annabelle-centric films exist as a trilogy from beginning to end, showing a satisfying evolution of the franchise’s heroes fighting the demonic doll. They could then watch The Nun, for example, followed byThe Nun II in theaters, as both of those films focus on the evil Valak. One could also focus on what can be described as the main films in the franchise, which are the ones withThe Conjuringin the title and star Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.Those are the biggest and most eventfulof the films in this universe and have received the most love from fans and critics alike. Unlike the spin-off films, which focus on just one monster in their story, theConjuringfilms feature a collection of demons, not just one, which adds to the grandness and epic feeling that come from the main movies in this universe. It’s interesting to note that theConjuringfilms have also received some of the best reviews in the franchise, particularly the first outing.
