Like the planchette on a Ouija board, the release date of The Conjuring 2 moved, seemingly on its own, from October 23, 2015 to October 2016, causing New Line executives to elbow each other excitedly. “Did you see that?,” the executives exclaimed, their faces frozen in exaggerated expressions of shock. “It must have been the ghost of the spooky doll movie we made that’s grossed $166 million worldwide on a $6.5 million budget.”
Meanwhile, under the table, James Wan waited patiently. He had already agreed to direct The Conjuring 2, necessitating a change of release date because he wouldn’t be free to work on the project until after he finished promoting Fast & Furious 7. But if the executives wanted to have a little fun, especially after offering him an overall producing deal as well, that was okay by him. Wan knocked on the table three times—One. Two. Three. The executives screamed. The Jem And The Holograms movie sighed with relief, now that it no longer had to go up against The Conjuring 2. Everyone was happy.