The Nun II Budget

What is the budget of The Nun II?

"The Nun II," a horror released in 2023, was directed by Michael Chaves and stars Taissa Farmiga, Anna Popplewell. The production budget was $38,500,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for horror productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a horror production like this include:

• 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 to 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.
• 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.".

What were the major cost factors in The Nun II?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Nun II."

• Practical Effects: Practical Effects, Prosthetics & Makeup is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.
• Atmospheric Production Design: Atmospheric Production Design & Cinematography is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.
• Sound Design: Sound Design & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.

How Does The Nun II's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $38,500,000, The Nun II sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

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

The median budget for wide-release horror films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

The Nun II Box Office Performance

"The Nun II" earned $86,267,073 domestically and $269,670,590 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $38,500,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "The Nun II," that break-even threshold was roughly $77,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $269,670,590, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

• Production Budget: $38,500,000
• Worldwide Gross: $269,670,590
• Net Return: $231,170,590
• ROI: approximately 600.4%

At 600.4%, "The Nun II" earned roughly $7 for every $1 invested in production.

The Nun II Production History

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 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.

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.

Awards and Recognition

1 win & 12 nominations total

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.