From the start, the production signals its cross-boundary ambition: Dark Nuns was pre-sold in 160 countries before release. The theatrical distribution spanned Indonesia, Taiwan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S./Canada, and more.
Box Office Numbers: A Mortal Wound or Just a Scar?
Let’s confront the ledger. BoxOfficeMojo reports Dark Nuns raked in ≈ $11,966,674 globally. Its Korean take alone — the beating heart of its launch — was $11,125,100 (≈ KRW 5.71 billion opening weekend) In the U.S. & Canada, it landed a modest $103,433, with a small opening weekend of $54,923.
In domestic terms, those U.S. numbers may seem puny — but the film never leaned on the American market as its main pillar. In Korea, it opened to the top spot. Variety even declared: “Dark Nuns scares up top spot as new releases surge.”
By its second week, it had surpassed 1.43 million admissions, a meaningful plateau for a genre film. And in Indonesia, it reportedly broke records among Korean releases, drawing around 310,000 viewers in its first week. — also earning it a place in Indonesia’s 2025 box office number-ones list.
So: financial victory? Not exactly. A respectable, cross-border moderate success? Yes — especially considering the niche nature of exorcism horror in 2025’s market.
What the Film Does Right (and Sometimes Rivetingly)
1. Female Agency in Exorcism
Perhaps the strongest current in Dark Nuns is its commitment to giving voice, agency, and grit to women in religious spaces. Junia does not wait, does not sanitise. When institutions falter, she pushes on. This is refreshing in a genre often led by male exorcists shadowing female victims.
2. Strong Lead Performances
Song Hye-kyo delivers a restrained but compelling Junia — her emotional beats carry weight without exaggeration. Jeon Yeo-been’s Michaela is torn between faith and doubt, and moments when the two nuns share screen time feel electric, charged. Critics and reviewers praise those scenes as the film’s spine.
3. Atmosphere & Mythic Framing
The film doesn’t merely exorcise; it lingers in ritual, silence, and shadows. It mixes Catholic tropes with indigenous Korean folklore, presenting its demon as something ancient, patient, and cunning. SubcultureEntertainment writes: “Dark Nuns explores deep theological questions — the correlation between demon possession and mental illness, science versus faith, ritual and ritual’s cost.”
4. Commercial Beats Meeting Horror Tropes
Despite ambition, Dark Nuns delivers accessible horror: possession, confrontation, rituals, and cries in darkness. Collider notes that it follows “similar beats as classic exorcism horror movies,” but stands out for its “strong and compelling lead characters.”
5. Box Office Momentum
Maintaining the #1 spot in Korea, exceeding 1.4 million admissions, outperforming many genre peers — these are concrete wins. The film’s overseas distribution, especially in Southeast Asia, added important buffer strength.
Where the Shadows Creep In (and Sometimes Trip the Exorcism)
1. Predictability & Script Familiarity
Several reviews point out that Dark Nuns often mirrors The Priests (its predecessor) — similar structure of church debate, dualism, exorcism escalation. Spectrum Culture criticises the pacing as replicating the older film’s rhythms, without enough new architecture.
2. Tonal Dissonance & Jargon Overload
The screenplay occasionally strays into heavy theological or medical dialogue — exposition that clutters the narrative. Sarah Vincent’s Views describes a sluggish first third, with monologues overshadowing momentum. SubcultureEntertainment echoes this: scenes where the “ritual formula” is spelt out feel more mechanical than organic.
3. Underused Supporting Cast / Secondary Stakes
Characters like Father Paolo (Lee Jin-wook) and the shaman Hyo-won have rich potential, but sometimes feel sidelined. The emotional weight falls too heavily on the nuns, which is fine, but leaves less room for world-building or side arcs to matter.
4. Horror That Scares — But Does It Haunt?
Is Dark Nuns frightening? Yes, in spots. But a few moments linger beyond the scene. As Letterboxd reviewers note, despite good production values, the film rarely achieves urgency or a unique identity.
5. Margins Under Pressure
For all its overseas and Korean success, the film’s U.S. earnings are modest — $103,433 on a limited release. For a horror film, international strength is key — but the U.S. market likely won’t tip the profit scales. Also, some of the script’s turns (exorcism, church politics) may not resonate deeply with non-Christian or less religious audiences.
The Internet Roars: Fan Buzz, Reddit Threads, Praise & Critique
-
On Reddit’s r/kdramas, fans describe Dark Nuns as “a one-time watch,” praising Song Hye-kyo’s screen presence while critiquing script holes and ease of plot obstacles. One user: “Every time there’s an obstacle, they just waltz through it.”
-
Another thread: “The direction was spot-on, but the script was weak.”
-
Nunsploitation communities rejoice: one post titled “Dark Nuns storms box office and breaks records” cites the $3.9 million opening and 160,000 viewers on day one, calling Song Hye-kyo “queen of thrillers.”
Fans on LinkedIn, Instagram, and local Korean press have echoed this sentiment: Dark Nuns is being positioned not just as a horror spectacle, but a technology of faith — an event where cult horror meets mainstream recognition.
Final Word: A Sacred Attempt Worth Watching (Even If Flawed)
Dark Nuns isn’t perfect — it juggles ambition and caution with varied success. But it is brave. It asks: when the priests hesitate, who steps forward? When faith wavers, can conviction still act?
It walks a narrow line: between formula and innovation, between horror and theology, between spectacle and soul. In many places, it slips. In others, during the rituals, the two nuns in defiance, the haunting silence before the scream — it soars.
From a PR standpoint, the film has a story: a comeback for Song Hye-kyo, a genre push led by women, a horror movie that doesn’t simply rely on jump scares but asks spiritual questions. That narrative may outlast box office margins.
If you ask me, Dark Nuns is the kind of film horror lovers will revisit — less for what it resolves, more for what it tries, what it asks, and how it carves space for ghosts and women in worlds that so often silence both.
PNN Entertainment
