‘Nun 2’ Director Explains Why His ‘Curse of La Llorona’ Isn’t Part of the ‘Conjuring’ Universe

“The Nun II” is more evidence that “The Conjuring Universe” is among the most consistent and bankable franchises in Hollywood. It’s a straight-up sequel to “The Nun,” with both films now serving as prequels to “The Conjuring 2.” The Michael Chaves-directed entry earned $268 million worldwide on a $39 million budget. That was up from Chaves’ $197 million-grossing “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” released in the COVID/Project Popcorn summer of 2021. It’s also more than the $200 million DC superhero tentpole “The Flash.”

The eight films, begun in 2013 with James Wan’s “The Conjuring,” have earned over $2.25 billion on a combined budget of $71 million. Well, $2.37 billion if you count Michael Chaves’ “The Curse of La Llorona.” That early 2019 flick earned $123 million in early 2019 and contained a handful of “Conjuring” universe treats.

Amusingly, even though it came from the same studio, with the director who would later helm the third “Conjuring” film and this new “Nun” sequel, and features Tony Amendola reprising his role as Father Perez from “Annabelle,” it’s not officially a “Conjuring” film. What gives?

“It’s a cousin to the universe, but it’s not properly in the universe,” Chaves explained during a conversation with TheWrap. “It started as a joke, including the priest from ‘Annabelle,’ and it just snowballed.” It didn’t help that its premiere at the 2019 SXSW film festival featured an announcer erroneously declaring it to be the next “Conjuring” movie.

So why not just roll with the mistake?

“Peter Safron wasn’t a producer on it,” Chaves stated. “Peter Safron [who is now running DC Studios with James Gunn] and James Wan [whose “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” opens theatrically on Dec. 22′] are the godfathers of this universe. They’ve been there from the beginning. However, it wasn’t retconned. Now there’s a sense of mystery to the whole thing.”

Chaves noted that he’s had fans show their DVD or Blu-ray sets of “Conjuring” movies with “Curse” included. “I don’t want to tell them to take it off the shelf.”

Arriving on 4K HD, Blu-Ray and DVD two months after its theatrical release, “The Nun II” earned comparatively superior reviews to the first “The Nun” five years earlier. Its global success is more evidence that, commercially, the “Conjuring” universe just does not miss.

The post ‘Nun 2’ Director Explains Why His ‘Curse of La Llorona’ Isn’t Part of the ‘Conjuring’ Universe appeared first on TheWrap.