The actor who plays the demonic nun in the billion-dollar Conjuring film franchise is suing Warner Bros, claiming the studio is hiding the true amount of money it made from merchandise featuring her character.
Bonnie Aarons first played the nun, also known as “Valak”, in the 2016 horror film The Conjuring 2. The box office hit spawned a spin-off franchise just for her character: the 2018 film The Nun and the impending sequel The Nun 2, set to be released on 8 September.
Aarons’ complaint, filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles superior court, names Warner Bros, New Line Cinema and Scope Productions. She alleges that she was paid “fixed compensation” of $71,500 to play her role in The Nun, plus a $175,000 bonus that was tied to box office performance, which she received after the film grossed more $365m against a $22m budget.
But the suit also claims her contract includes the stipulation that she would receive “a share of Warner Bros’ gross receipts from merchandise exploiting Ms Aarons’ likeness”. As the nun’s face is entirely based on Aarons’ physical features and requires no CGI or prosthetics, her importance to the franchise is “undeniable”, the suit states.
According to text of the agreement cited in the complaint, Aarons was promised a “pro-rata share of 5% of 50% of the gross receipts” from the licensing of merchandising rights. The lawsuit claims the relevant merchandise includes “toys, dolls, decorations, pins, jewellery, T-shirts, socks, bedding, costumes, drinkware, and posters all using Ms Aarons’ likeness”.
Aarons’ complaint claims that, between 2019 and 2022, Warner Bros sent her written statements showing her share of revenue, which she alleges was “inconsistent with the extensive merchandising activities” for her character. When asked to elaborate on the figures, the studio sent a “spreadsheet that contained line items corresponding to only a fraction of the known licences,” she claims.
“Instead of accounting and paying in a transparent fashion, Warner Bros obscures and hides the true amount of Ms Aarons’ rightful share of merchandising revenues, all while continuing to exploit her,” states Aarons’ lawsuit.
Aarons is suing for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and accounting.
The seven films in “the Conjuring Universe” – The Conjuring, Annabelle, The Conjuring 2, Annabelle: Creation, The Nun, Annabelle Comes Home, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – have collectively grossed more than $2bn at the worldwide box office.
Aarons has a long career of playing horrifying characters in films, including a startling and brief appearance as “the bum” in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive.
When contacted by the Guardian, Warners Bros declined to comment.