In Case You Haven’t Heard: ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites,’ Charlie Sheen

“The Conjuring: Last Rites” kindles the embers of the summer blockbuster season, heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne was honored with a performance by Aerosmith at the VMAs, and a documentary showcasing the chaotic life of Charlie Sheen is streaming in this edition of “In Case You Haven’t Heard.”

Last week, I wrote that the summer blockbuster season at the theaters was officially over, but it appears no one told “The Conjuring: Last Rites.” Prognosticators estimated that the film would pull in roughly $80 million worldwide. The film opened in first place this past weekend, surpassing the predicted amount in the U.S. alone with $83 million, and pulled in $187 million worldwide, which was good for the third-highest opening ever domestically or globally for a horror film.

For Warner Brothers, this was their eighth number one opening of the year, and their seventh film in 2025 that has opened with a take of more than $40 million, something no studio has ever achieved, according to Deadline. “Hamilton” opened in limited release and came in second place with $10 million. Horror continued to win the box office, as Warner Brothers “Weapons” came in third place and has now raked in $143 million in five weeks. “Freakier Friday” and “Caught Stealing” finished in fourth and fifth place respectively.

If you’re looking for a documentary that will make your life look pretty boring, check out the new Charlie Sheen documentary that drops on Netflix this week. “A.K.A. Charlie Sheen” is a two-part doc that explores his three marriages and his movie career. His credits include “Platoon,” “Wall Street” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” as well as the hit sitcom “Two and a Half Men.” The 60-year-old Sheen also talks about his various addictions, his mental health breakdown in 2011, where he claimed to have had ‘tiger blood’, and his firing from “Two and a Half Men” for drug use. During that specific time in his life, Sheen claims to have had constant stress and was using a testosterone cream, which gave him ‘roid rage,’ – that’s the steroid type, not the peskier, wholesome, old-fashioned lack of fiber ‘roid issues, in case you were wondering.

And Sheen is well aware that anytime you self-promote with a new movie or book, you do need some spicy new material. The actor is now saying he also had sex with lots of men, and it all began when he started smoking crack. Tip of my hat to the producers who somehow managed to cram all that into just two parts. “A.K.A. Charlie Sheen” drops Sept. 10 on Netflix. 

Video killed the radio star, but it’s also responsible for an award show called the Video Music Awards. 2025’s big event took place Sunday night. The night’s video star winners were Lady Gaga, who brought home four VMAs, including Artist of the Year, and Ariana Grande, who brought home three awards and won the prestigious Video of the Year award for her song “Brighter Days Ahead.” Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 76, was honored with a performance by Aerosmith and two guys I’ve never heard of, but I’m sure are very talented.

Sabrina Carpenter also took home three awards, and Bruno Mars was a two-time winner. Mariah Carey performed a special medley, and Ricky Martin won the Video Vanguard Award. The good news is, if you missed the broadcast, that means you didn’t have to watch it. Kidding aside, if you’re interested, check out the highlights online.

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.