Universal’s big bet on theExorcistbrand isn’t quite paying off just yet, but it’s still early days. Positioned as a direct sequel to the 1973 classicThe Exorcist, this week’sThe Exorcist: Believeris coming in under expectations both domestically and worldwide, despite the near-unblemished reputation that the original film has been able to hold onto for five decades.
Directed byDavid Gordon Green,The Exorcist: Believergrossed $27 million in itsdomestic debut, and another $18 million from more than 50 overseas markets, for a global debut of $45 million. While this was good enough for it to be the top movie in the world (and to recover its reported $30 million production budget), the film is playing more along the lines of a relatively low-key horror title than as a follow-up to acritically acclaimedand commercially successful classic.
Directed by the late, greatWilliam Friedkin,The Exorcistdelivered a then-record global box office haul of $441 million, which is only $40-odd million more than what Universal reportedly shelled out for the rights to the franchise. The studio intends on making a trilogy of new Exorcist movies, although it is free to monetize the franchise beyond theatrical films. The blueprint that it’s following was probably inspired by Green and Blumhouse’s trio ofHalloweenreboots, released between 2018 and 2022. The firstHalloweenactually opened to $76 million domestically, which is probably whatThe Exorcist: Believerwould realistically be looking at in its entire box office run. EvenHalloween Kills, which was released day-and-date on the Peacock streaming service in mid-pandemic 2021, managed to gross nearly $50 million in its domestic opening weekend.
The Movie Was Cursed With Poor Reviews
The Exorcist: Believerwas greeted with terrible reviews, and is currently sitting at a “rotten” 23% score on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes. The movie earned a C CinemaScore from opening day audiences, and aC- from Collider’sChase Hutchinson. None of this bodes well for the film’s future. Globally, the film’s top market was Mexico, where it debuted with $4 million.The Exorcist: Believeralso delivered number one openings in UK & Ireland ($2.1 million), Italy ($1.2 million), Spain ($1 million) and Germany ($0.9 million).
StarringLeslie Odom Jr.as the father of a young girl who disappears in the woods with her friend, the film also brings back franchise starEllen Burstyn, alongsideAnne Dowd,Jennifer Nettles,Norbert Leo Butz, andLidya JewettandOlivia Marcumas the two young girls. Coincidentally, the film debuted on the same day as Friedkin’s final film,The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
