Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for The Nun II?

Directed by Michael Chaves, with Taissa Farmiga, Anna Popplewell, Jonas Bloquet leading the cast, The Nun II was produced by New Line Cinema with a confirmed budget of $38,500,000, placing it in the low-budget category for horror films as part of the The Nun Collection.

With a $38,500,000 budget, The Nun II sits in the mid-range of studio releases. Marketing costs for a wide release at this level typically add $30–60 million, putting the break-even point near $96,250,000.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• Serenity (2005): Budget $39,000,000 | Gross $38,869,464 → ROI: -0% • Weapons (2025): Budget $38,000,000 | Gross $269,972,492 → ROI: 610% • The Fast and the Furious (2001): Budget $38,000,000 | Gross $207,283,925 → ROI: 445% • The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021): Budget $39,000,000 | Gross $206,444,123 → ROI: 429% • News of the World (2020): Budget $38,000,000 | Gross $12,700,000 → ROI: -67%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Practical Effects, Prosthetics & Makeup Horror productions invest disproportionately in practical effects — prosthetic applications, animatronics, blood and gore effects, and creature suits. A single hero creature suit can cost $50,000–200,000.

▸ Atmospheric Production Design & Cinematography Creating dread through environment is essential. Abandoned locations must be secured and dressed, lighting rigs designed for shadow and tension, and sets built to enable specific camera movements and reveals.

▸ Sound Design & Score Horror is arguably the most sound-dependent genre. Foley work, ambient textures, frequency manipulation, and jump-scare stingers require specialized sound designers working with unconventional techniques.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Taissa Farmiga, Anna Popplewell, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Katelyn Rose Downey Key roles: Taissa Farmiga as Sister Irene; Anna Popplewell as Kate; Jonas Bloquet as Maurice Theriault; Storm Reid as Sister Debra

DIRECTOR: Michael Chaves CINEMATOGRAPHY: Tristan Nyby MUSIC: Marco Beltrami EDITING: Gregory Plotkin PRODUCTION: New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, The Safran Company FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

The Nun II earned $86,267,073 domestically and $183,403,517 internationally, for a worldwide total of $269,670,590. International markets drove the majority of revenue (68%), indicating strong global appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), The Nun II needed approximately $96,250,000 to break even. The film surpassed this threshold by $173,420,590.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $269,670,590 Budget: $38,500,000 Net: $231,170,590 ROI: 600.4%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Highly Profitable

The Nun II was a clear financial success, generating $269,670,590 worldwide against a $38,500,000 production budget — a 600% ROI. After estimated marketing costs, the film still delivered substantial profit to New Line Cinema.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

Franchise: The Nun II is part of the The Nun Collection.

The outsized success of The Nun II likely influenced studio greenlight decisions for similar horror projects.

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Development

In August 2017, Wan discussed the possibility of a Nun sequel and what its story may be: "I do know where potentially, if The Nun works out, where The Nun 2 could lead to and how that ties back to Lorraine's story that we've set up with the first two Conjurings and make it all come full circle."

In April 2019, it was announced by Peter Safran that a sequel was in development. Safran stated that there was a "really fun" storyline planned for the film and commented that there was an "inevitability to another The Nun movie". Later that month, Akela Cooper signed onto the project as screenwriter while Safran and James Wan agreed to serve as producers.

In February 2022, Taissa Farmiga stated that she had had discussions with Warner Bros. Pictures to reprise her role from the first film while stating that the restrictions on the film industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the project. In April 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures officially announced the movie as a part of its upcoming slate at the 2022 CinemaCon. The following day, it was announced that Michael Chaves would direct the film.

In September 2022, it was revealed that Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing had contributed as screenwriting co-authors of the most recent draft of the script.

▸ Casting

In April 2022, James Wan confirmed that Bonnie Aarons would be reprising her role as Valak. In September 2022, Storm Reid was cast as a new lead. In October 2022, Taissa Farmiga and Jonas Bloquet were confirmed to be reprising their roles from the first film, with Anna Popplewell and Katelyn Rose Downey added to the cast later that month.

▸ Filming & Locations

Preliminary production photography began on April 29, 2022. Filming was originally scheduled to start on September 5, 2022. Principal photography began in France on October 6, 2022, and concluded later that year. Filming locations include the former monastery in Aix-en-Provence and rue Proudhon in Tarascon.

[Filming] Preliminary production photography began on April 29, 2022. Filming was originally scheduled to start on September 5, 2022. Principal photography began in France on October 6, 2022, and concluded later that year. Filming locations include the former monastery in Aix-en-Provence and rue Proudhon in Tarascon.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: 1 win & 12 nominations total

Additional Recognition: The film was nominated in the category of Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature at the 22nd Visual Effects Society Awards.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale (up from the first film's "C"), while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 64% overall positive score, with 47% saying they would definitely recommend the film. The Times Ed Potton gave the film 3/5 stars, saying it "often flirts with ridiculousness", but praised Chaves's direction, Farmiga and Downey's performances and the finale. CNN's Brian Lowry called the film "a slick if familiar addition to the very fertile Conjuring universe that, by deftly expanding on the 2018 hit, appears destined to become another cinematic habit." Dennis Harvey of Variety wrote, "In some respects an improvement on its predecessor, in others not, this is finally one more good-enough if unmemorable entry sure to extend the series' life in lucrative fashion."

Bob Smithouser of Plugged In stated that "The Nun II is one of the purest cinematic versions of palpable image over substance that I've seen in some time." Claire Shaffer of The New York Times said the film "runs like haunted clockwork, shoving characters down dark alleyways or abandoned chapels every five minutes with little justification. Scene after scene builds fear and tension, and then a monster appears, and then ... not much else, in most cases." The Sydney Morning Heralds Jake Wilson gave it 2/5 stars, writing, "The shocks are brief and not too grisly, the dingy Gothic look is as you'd expect, and the mechanical climax steers clear of the more unsettling possibilities that might have emerged if Frenchie's Jekyll and Hyde sides had been meaningfully linked." Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press gave it 1/5 stars, writing, "A new directing and writing team fails to shock or scare with a color-by-numbers plot and a meandering, languid wannabe frightfest."