The Conjuring universe has paved the way for a number of horror movies. The first two Conjuring films and Annabelle: Creation received some critical acclaim, yet most of the films have been panned. Quite possibly the worst film from the group within the The Conjuring stable is 2018’s The Nun.
At 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has even worse reviews than The Curse of La Llorona and the first Annabelle film. The Nun was inspired by the main demon in The Conjuring 2. The character became very popular in that movie, so the natural move was to give it its own showcase. Unfortunately, The Nun ended up being a big mess. Directed by Corin Hardy, The Nun goes back to 1952 and stars Demián Bichir and Taissa Farmiga. Casting Farmiga was an interesting choice as she’s the sister of Vera Farmiga, who portrays Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring Universe films.
Outside of the novelty of having Farmiga appear in the film, it doesn’t have much going for it. However, that hasn’t stopped audiences from watching the film. The Nun has been finding new life in South America as it streams on HBO GO. According to Flix Patrol, the film has been one of the five most-streamed films in over a dozen South American countries.
Bichir is one of the great actors to come out of Mexico and that could play a role in why The Nun has resonated with South American audiences. Despite the poor reviews, the film has certainly been a hit. Not only is it dominating streaming three years after its release, it also made over $365 million at the box office against a $22 million budget.