The Conjuring universe centres on the four Conjuring films following Ed and Lorraine Warren, from The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025); watch those in release order. The Annabelle and The Nun spin-offs are optional, and The Nun (set in 1952) comes first in story order.
- Titles
- 9
- Films
- 9
- Watch time
- 17 hours
- Box office
- $2.78 billion
- Avg IMDb
- 6.2
Conjuring movies in release order
Here is every Conjuring (Annabelle) title in the order it came out, 2013 to 2025: 9 films. Optional entries are marked; you can skip them on a first watch.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Conjuring | 2013 | Film | 1h 52m | 7.5 |
| 2 | Annabelle optional | 2014 | Film | 1h 39m | 5.5 |
| 3 | The Conjuring 2 | 2016 | Film | 2h 14m | 7.3 |
| 4 | Annabelle: Creation optional | 2017 | Film | 1h 50m | 6.5 |
| 5 | The Nun optional | 2018 | Film | 1h 36m | 5.4 |
| 6 | Annabelle Comes Home optional | 2019 | Film | 1h 46m | 5.9 |
| 7 | The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It | 2021 | Film | 1h 51m | 6.2 |
| 8 | The Nun II optional | 2023 | Film | 1h 50m | 5.6 |
| 9 | The Conjuring: Last Rites | 2025 | Film | 2h 16m | 6.2 |
Conjuring timeline: movies in chronological order
The same titles in story order, by when they take place, with the year or era each one is set in.
| # | Title | Set in | Released |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Nun | 1952 | 2018 |
| 2 | The Nun II | 1956 | 2023 |
| 3 | Annabelle: Creation | 1950s | 2017 |
| 4 | Annabelle | 1970 | 2014 |
| 5 | The Conjuring | 1971 | 2013 |
| 6 | Annabelle Comes Home | 1972 | 2019 |
| 7 | The Conjuring 2 | 1977 | 2016 |
| 8 | The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It | 1981 | 2021 |
| 9 | The Conjuring: Last Rites | 1986 | 2025 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
Release order and story order disagree on 7 titles here. In release order you start with The Conjuring (2013); in story order you start with The Nun, set in 1952, which came out 5 years later.
First time through, watch in release order. That is how the twists, returning characters and callbacks were built to land, and later entries assume you have seen the earlier ones. On a rewatch, try story order. It turns The Conjuring into one continuous story and makes the prequels play as setup instead of backstory.
Where to start
Start with The Conjuring and go in release order, skipping the 5 optional titles on the first pass.
The essentials are 4 titles and about 8 hours, 51% less than the full run.
The three highest rated: The Conjuring (7.5), The Conjuring 2 (7.3), and Annabelle: Creation (6.5).
Every Conjuring movie, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 2013 · Film · 1h 52m · 5th in story order
The Conjuring
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.
Why it matters: Ed and Lorraine Warren take on the Perron farmhouse; the place to start.
- Starring
- Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Lili Taylor
- Director
- James Wan
- Box office
- $321 million on a $13 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 86%
No. 02 · 2014 · Film · 1h 39m · 4th in story order · optional
Annabelle
A couple begins to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists.
Why it matters: The doll's first haunting; optional.
- Starring
- Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, and Tony Amendola
- Director
- John R. Leonetti
- Box office
- $258 million on a $7 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 28%
No. 03 · 2016 · Film · 2h 14m · 7th in story order
The Conjuring 2
Lorraine and Ed Warren travel to north London to help a single mother raising four children alone in a house plagued by malicious spirits.
Why it matters: The Enfield haunting and the first appearance of Valak.
- Starring
- Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Madison Wolfe
- Director
- James Wan
- Box office
- $323 million on a $40 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 7.3 · Rotten Tomatoes 80%
No. 04 · 2017 · Film · 1h 50m · 3rd in story order · optional
Annabelle: Creation
Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the doll maker's possessed creation—Annabelle.
Why it matters: How the Annabelle doll came to be; optional.
- Starring
- Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Eliana Bateman, and Lulu Wilson
- Director
- David F. Sandberg
- Box office
- $307 million on a $15 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.5 · Rotten Tomatoes 71%
No. 05 · 2018 · Film · 1h 36m · 1st in story order · optional
The Nun
A priest with a dark past and a novice nearing her final vows are sent by the Vatican to Romania to investigate a nun's death and face a demonic force.
Why it matters: Valak's origin in 1952 Romania; the earliest story. Optional.
- Starring
- Taissa Farmiga, Demián Bichir, and Bonnie Aarons
- Director
- Corin Hardy
- Box office
- $366 million on a $22 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.4 · Rotten Tomatoes 24%
No. 06 · 2019 · Film · 1h 46m · optional
Annabelle Comes Home
Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target—the Warrens' ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.
Why it matters: The doll loose in the Warrens' house; optional.
- Starring
- Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, and Katie Sarife
- Director
- Gary Dauberman
- Box office
- $231 million on a $27 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.9 · Rotten Tomatoes 64%
No. 07 · 2021 · Film · 1h 51m · 8th in story order
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren encounter what would become one of the most sensational cases from their files. The fight for the soul of a young boy takes them beyond anything they'd ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.
Why it matters: A murder case blamed on possession.
- Starring
- Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, and Sterling Jerins
- Director
- Michael Chaves
- Box office
- $206 million on a $39 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 56%
No. 08 · 2023 · Film · 1h 50m · 2nd in story order · optional
The Nun II
In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.
Why it matters: Sister Irene faces Valak again; optional.
- Starring
- Taissa Farmiga, Anna Popplewell, and Jonas Bloquet
- Director
- Michael Chaves
- Box office
- $270 million on a $39 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 5.6 · Rotten Tomatoes 51%
No. 09 · 2025 · Film · 2h 16m
The Conjuring: Last Rites
Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren take on one last terrifying case involving mysterious entities they must confront.
Why it matters: The Warrens' final case.
- Starring
- Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and Mia Tomlinson
- Director
- Michael Chaves
- Box office
- $499 million on a $55 million budget
- Scores
- IMDb 6.2 · Rotten Tomatoes 57%
Conjuring box office and budgets
The 9 Conjuring films with reported numbers have grossed $2.78 billion worldwide on about $256 million in combined budgets, roughly 11 times what they cost. The biggest is The Conjuring: Last Rites at $499 million, 18% of the franchise's total on its own, followed by The Nun ($366 million) and The Conjuring 2 ($323 million).
Measured against what it cost, the best return belongs to Annabelle, which made 40 times its $7 million budget. The weakest was The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It at 5.3 times its $39 million budget. As a rule of thumb, a film needs about two and a half times its budget at the box office to cover marketing and the theaters' cut.
The best and worst rated Conjuring movies
Across 9 rated titles, The Conjuring averages 6.2 on IMDb. The top of the list is The Conjuring at 7.5, then The Conjuring 2 (7.3) and Annabelle: Creation (6.5). At the bottom: The Nun (5.4) and Annabelle (5.5). Money and quality don't line up perfectly: the highest grosser, The Conjuring: Last Rites, is only the 5th best rated.
- The Conjuring7.5 · RT 86%
- The Conjuring 27.3 · RT 80%
- Annabelle: Creation6.5 · RT 71%
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It6.2 · RT 56%
- The Conjuring: Last Rites6.2 · RT 57%
- Annabelle Comes Home5.9 · RT 64%
- The Nun II5.6 · RT 51%
- Annabelle5.5 · RT 28%
- The Nun5.4 · RT 24%
Who appears in the most Conjuring movies
Vera Farmiga leads with 6 appearances as Lorraine Warren, ahead of Patrick Wilson (6) and Sterling Jerins (3). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vera Farmiga | Lorraine Warren | 6 | The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) |
| Patrick Wilson | Ed Warren | 6 | The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) |
| Sterling Jerins | Judy Warren | 3 | The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021) |
| Shannon Kook | Drew / Drew Thomas | 3 | The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) |
| Bonnie Aarons | Demon Nun / The Nun | 3 | The Conjuring 2 (2016) to The Nun II (2023) |
| Lili Taylor | Carolyn Perron | 2 | The Conjuring (2013) to The Nun (2018) |
| Samara Lee | Annabelle "Bee" Mullins | 2 | Annabelle: Creation (2017) to Annabelle Comes Home (2019) |
| Taissa Farmiga | Sister Irene | 2 | The Nun (2018) to The Nun II (2023) |
| Jonas Bloquet | Maurice Theriault | 2 | The Nun (2018) to The Nun II (2023) |
Conjuring directors and creators
6 filmmakers have directed or created The Conjuring; Michael Chaves has the most, with 3.
- Michael ChavesThe Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021), The Nun II (2023), and The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)
- James WanThe Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016)
- John R. LeonettiAnnabelle (2014)
- David F. SandbergAnnabelle: Creation (2017)
- Corin HardyThe Nun (2018)
- Gary DaubermanAnnabelle Comes Home (2019)
How long it takes to watch every Conjuring movie
All 9 titles add up to 17 hours. That is about 9 two-hour evenings, or 2 days of ten-hour binges. The essentials cut it to 8 hours. The longest film is The Conjuring: Last Rites at 2h 16m.
The 4 best rated films: The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle: Creation, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.
Everything takes about 3 weeks; the essentials about 9 days.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Which Conjuring movies can you skip?
5 titles can go without losing the main story. They are side stories, spin-offs or entries the later films ignore. Dropping them saves 9 hours.
- The Nun2018 · Film · 1h 36m · optionalValak's origin in 1952 Romania; the earliest story. Optional.
- The Nun II2023 · Film · 1h 50m · optionalSister Irene faces Valak again; optional.
- Annabelle: Creation2017 · Film · 1h 50m · optionalHow the Annabelle doll came to be; optional.
- Annabelle2014 · Film · 1h 39m · optionalThe doll's first haunting; optional.
- Annabelle Comes Home2019 · Film · 1h 46m · optionalThe doll loose in the Warrens' house; optional.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Conjuring movies in?
The Conjuring universe centres on the four Conjuring films following Ed and Lorraine Warren, from The Conjuring (2013) to The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025); watch those in release order. The Annabelle and The Nun spin-offs are optional, and The Nun (set in 1952) comes first in story order.
How many Conjuring movies and shows are there?
There are 9 titles in the The Conjuring franchise: 9 films and 0 series, released from 2013 to 2025.
How long does it take to watch all the Conjuring movies?
About 17 hours for all 9 titles, counting every episode. The essentials only (4 titles) take about 8 hours.
What is the first Conjuring title in chronological order?
The Nun, set in 1952. In release order the first is The Conjuring (2013).
Which Conjuring titles can I skip?
The Nun, The Nun II, Annabelle: Creation, Annabelle, and Annabelle Comes Home. They are spin-offs, side stories or non-canon entries; the main story holds without them.
What is the best Conjuring movie?
By IMDb score, The Conjuring (2013) at 7.5, followed by The Conjuring 2 at 7.3.
What is the highest-grossing Conjuring movie?
The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025), with $499 million worldwide. The Conjuring films have made $2.78 billion in total.
Who has appeared in the most Conjuring movies?
Vera Farmiga, in 6 of them as Lorraine Warren.
What is the longest Conjuring movie?
The Conjuring: Last Rites, at 2h 16m.
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