What the devil is going on withThe Exorcist: Believer? Critics absolutely lambasted the 50-year follow-up to 1973’sThe Exorcistwith only a 23% rating registering on the Tomatometer. Fans, in large part, also seemed to find fault with Blumhouse’s latest film, as the horror sequel only managed an audience score of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, at the time of this writing. Nevertheless,The Exorcist Believerstill brought in almost $30 million domestically during its first weekend of release, which is at the high end of what it was predicted to make over its first three days in theaters.
The Exorcist Believerlays claim to the No. 1 spot in the United States with $27.2 million. It’s not a bad haul when one considers the budget for the Blumhouse venture only cost $30 million to make. However, Universal Pictures spent $400 million to acquire the rights toThe Exorcistfranchise, so the studio could make a new trilogy, which will includeThe Exorcist: Deceiverin 2025 and an untitled third installment afterward. Director David Gordon Green laid out a similar plan with Blumhouse’sHalloweentrilogy (2018-2022). However, unlike directing all three of those films, there’s a chance Green will only guide the rest of theExorcisttrilogy from a storytelling standpoint. Nothing is set in stone, but Green toldThe Hollywood Reporter:
My intention is just to start making things, and as those plans come together, if I find myself in that [The Exorcist: Deceiver] director’s chair, I’d be thrilled. But right now, I’m navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot.
The Exorcist: Believerdidn’t fare as well overseas. The horror film made only $17.9 million, which brings the Blumhouse film’s global take up to $45 million. So, the studio has made 10% of its $450-million investment back after the movie’s first weekend of theatrical release.
The Exorcist: Believer: After the Initial Rotten Tomatoes Score, Will This Reboot Be Another Flop?
The Exorcist: Believer is getting panned. Will this translate into box office disaster?
The Exorcist: Believer Wins the Weekend
David Gordon Green’sHalloweentrilogy made over $497 million worldwide for Blumhouse. However, there doesn’t seem to be the same cohesive plan in place for producing the studio’s threesome ofExorcistmovies. Green himself hasn’t even decided if he wants to directThe Exorcist: Believer’ssequels yet. And Blumhouse’s newest film franchise will need every last advantage it can get.
Audiences coming right out of the theaters aren’t lovingthe new Blumhouse horror movie, and they have givenThe Exorcist: Believera “C” CinemaScore. That rating doesn’t compare favorably toSaw X’s“B” orThe Nun II’s“C+” scores. Another issue the film is facing, in terms of longevity, is the fact that both actresses Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair — the two returningExorcistlegacy characters — are absolutely wasted inThe Exorcist: Believer. Blair’s brief cameo seems to set up Regan MacNeil’s return in the sequels,and who knows if Blumhouse can afford for Burstyn to return again.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Moviefinishes No. 2 at the domestic box office with $11.8 million, while No. 3 goes toSaw Xwith $8.2 million.The Creatorcontinues to struggle in theaters with a fourth-place finish ($6.1 million), andThe Blindrounds out the Top 5 with $3.1 million.
