Unstoppable Warner Bros. Achieves Historic Box Office Run

Warner Bros. is on a roll at the box office. Their latest release, The Conjuring: Last Rites, earned $83 million in the U.S. and $187 million globally over the weekend. This marks the seventh movie in a row from the studio to open above $40 million, a level of consistency no other studio has reached.

The studio had a rough start to the year, with films like Joker: Folie à Deux, Mickey 17, and The Alto Knights losing money.

Things started turning around in April when A Minecraft Movie debuted with $162 million. Success continued with Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners at $48 million, Final Destination: Bloodlines at $51.6 million, Brad Pitt’s F1: The Movie at $57 million, Superman at $125 million, and Zach Cregger’s Weapons at $43.5 million.

Unlike some recent films that dropped sharply after opening weekend, these movies have remained strong. A Minecraft Movie is Warner Bros.’ highest earner this year with $957 million worldwide. Other big hits include F1 with $617 million, Superman with $613 million, Sinners with $366 million, Final Destination: Bloodlines with $307 million, and Weapons with $251 million and still counting.

Analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research told Variety, “Warner Bros. is having a fantastic run. The studio made outstanding choices and took some big creative risks, and they’re paying off.”

The profits are impressive too. Sources say Sinners is expected to make around $60 million in profits, Superman $125 million, Final Destination: Bloodlines $75 million, and Weapons $65 million.

F1 brought in roughly $34 million through a flat distribution fee and revenue bonuses. One insider estimated the studio has made about $600 million in profits this year even before adding The Conjuring: Last Rites. Warner Bros. declined to comment on the numbers.

This strong performance has eased pressure on Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy.

Earlier in the year, the studio faced losses and leadership changes, including the departures of marketing chief Josh Goldstine and international distribution head Andrew Cripps. Gross noted, “Studios get hot, and studios get cold. Just before this, they weathered a long, bad run. It won’t last forever. Hopefully they’ll remember this [run] when they go on a cold streak. That’ll happen too; it always does.”

Attention is now turning to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film cost at least $130 million to make and needs about $300 million to break even. Anderson’s previous highest-grossing film, There Will Be Blood, earned $76.4 million worldwide.

Looking ahead to 2026, Warner Bros. plans to release Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights remake, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride, DC films Supergirl and Clayface, the sci-fi thriller Flowervale Street, Mortal Kombat II, an untitled project from Alejandro G. Iñárritu with Tom Cruise, and Dune Part Three. The lineup is risky but builds on the success of 2025, relying on original projects and genre films alongside franchise entries.

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