Exceeding all expectations, horror thriller The Nun attracted huge crowds of moviegoers over the weekend, earning an estimated $131 million at the box office worldwide. In the U.S. alone, it estimated take amounted to $53.5 million, the "second-largest opening for an R-rated horror film," according to Box Office Mojo, behind last year's It.

The Nun is the latest installment in the so-called Conjuring Universe, a series of films inspired by or spun-off from James Wan's The Conjuring. We peer into the future to look at three more installments that are in various stages of planning.

Annabelle 3

Last year, the prequel Annabelle: Creation proved to be even more popular than its predecessor, Annabelle, earning more than $300 million worldwide. The film traced the origins of the demon-possessed porcelain doll, which unleashed evil in 1955.

Back in April, we heard that Gary Dauberman, who wrote the first two Annabelle films, as well as The Nun, It and It: Chapter Two, has been hired to write a third installment. He will also make his directorial debut. No story details have been revealed yet. Given the previous films, it should be interesting to learn in what time period the thriller will be set. It's already been scheduled for release on July 3, 2019, so we don't have to wait too long.

The Conjuring 3

The granddaddy of the franchise, The Conjuring, introduced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Wilson (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) as they endeavored to help a family in 1971 Rhode Island. The sequel, The Conjuring 2, followed the Warrens to England in 1977, as they once again helped a family plagued by evil spirits.

The third installment will once again explore a case investigated by the Warrens, though exactly which case has not been announced. David Leslie Johnson (Orphan), who cowrote The Conjuring 2, has been working on the script. Reportedly, James Wan will serve as a producer on the project but is not likely to direct.

The Crooked Man

One of the more frightening scenes in The Conjuring 2 featured a supernatural force that took the form of "the crooked man," based on an English nursery rhyme. Mike Van Waes was hired last year to write a screenplay for a film about the character, working from a story by James Wan.

The 19th century nursery rhyme has inspired a slew of appearances by the character in films and television shows. In view of the character's origins in England, will The Crooked Man be set there? That might allow it to refresh a new set of old thrillers; we're also curious about where in the Conjuring Universe timeline it might be set.