Blumhouse and Universal have conjured up a monstrous success with their latest spine-chiller, The Exorcist: Believer, which has taken possession of the #1 spot at the box office with an impressive $27.2 million in its opening weekend.
This eerie triumph marks the fourth time in the last five weekends that horror films have dominated the box office, following closely behind the release of The Nun 2 on September 8th.
Stepping back into the chilling world of possession and exorcism, The Exorcist: Believer is the sixth installment in a legendary franchise that began its haunting journey half a century ago, with the release of The Exorcist on December 26, 1973, when it graced a mere 24 theaters. Adapted from William Peter Blatty‘s best-selling novel, the story revolves around a 12-year-old girl possessed by malevolent forces and her mother’s desperate quest to save her, enlisting the aid of two Catholic priests to perform an exorcism.
The original film became a cultural phenomenon, with vivid tales of endless ticket lines snaking around theaters. This frenzy occurred in a time before online ticket purchases or advanced reservations, where moviegoers endured the biting December cold just to secure their seats. Reports even surfaced of some viewers fainting or vomiting due to the movie’s shockingly graphic scenes, sparking debates over its rating, initially an R, with some insisting it deserved an X rating. Despite attempted bans in various U.S. cities, the film continued its unstoppable march.
Over the years, The Exorcist grossed an astounding $232.6 million at U.S. and Canadian theaters, including earnings from its multiple re-releases in 2000, 2010, 2021, and 2023. When adjusting for inflation, it holds the record as the highest-grossing R-rated film ever and ranks ninth among all films. This unparalleled success inspired a wave of similarly themed movies, including The Omen, The Sentinel, Burnt Offerings, and The Amityville Horror. The film received six Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Screenplay by William Peter Blatty, and remains a pinnacle of the horror genre.
However, like many franchises, subsequent sequels and spin-offs often struggle to recapture the original magic. Before this year, The Exorcist spawned two sequels, Exorcist II: The Heretic and The Exorcist III, along with two prequels, Exorcist: The Beginning and Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist. While Exorcist: The Beginning fared the best among these offspring, it could only muster $41.8 million domestically, a mere 18% of the original’s earnings. Dominion: Prequel To The Exorcist scraped together a meager $251,000, signaling a need for the franchise to take a hiatus.
In June 2020, Blumhouse Productions acquired the rights to this supernatural saga and embarked on a mission to resurrect it with a trilogy, commencing with The Exorcist: Believer. In a nostalgic nod to the past, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair reprised their roles as Chris and Regan MacNeil. The story follows a photographer confronting malevolence when his daughter and her friend become vessels of darkness. With a production budget of a modest $30 million, the film’s weekend earnings have nearly matched its expenses, financially speaking.
Unfortunately, critical consensus has not been kind, as the movie received a dismal 22% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Even more disheartening, the audience score stands at a lackluster 59%. Despite these critical and audience misgivings, the second film in the trilogy, The Exorcist: Deceiver, is already in the works, set to terrify audiences on April 12, 2025.
Last weekend’s “top dog,” Paramount’s Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie took the #2 spot and raked in $11.8 million at the box office, marking a 48% drop from its debut weekend. The movie is benefiting from strong word-of-mouth, with audiences giving it a resounding 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes. In just ten days, the lovable pups have fetched a hefty $38.9 million, surpassing the performance of its 2021 predecessor, Paw Patrol: The Movie, which earned $24.2 million in its first ten days. Notably, the previous film found particular success in international markets, where it collected 72% of its worldwide earnings. If The Mighty Movie replicates this overseas triumph, it could become a global sensation, especially considering its modest production budget of $30 million.
Lionsgate’s Saw X claimed the #3 spot in its second week in theaters, taking in $8.2 million but experiencing a steeper 55% decline from its opening weekend. This dip was expected as The Exorcist: Believer drew in a similar audience demographic. After ten days, Saw X has amassed $32.6 million, a respectable figure when compared to the original Saw film’s $35.4 million after ten days, which ultimately went on to earn $55.2 million domestically and a substantial $103.1 million worldwide. Lionsgate deserves praise for producing a well-received film on a tight budget, with the movie costing only $13 million to make and earning an 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from audiences.
20th Century’s The Creator slipped to #4 with a gross of $6.1 million, encountering a significant 57% decrease in earnings. This original Sci-Fi film has generated $24.9 million domestically in ten days, which may be cause for concern for the studio, especially considering its hefty $80 million production budget. To break even, The Creator would need to earn $200 million.
In the #5 spot for the second consecutive weekend is Fathom Events’ faith-based biopic The Blind, which garnered $3.1 million, experiencing only a 28% drop despite playing at 23% fewer locations (1,317 compared to last week’s 1,715).
Sliding into the #6 spot at the box office, as it nears the end of its theatrical run after 4 weeks, Disney’s A Haunting in Venice continues to hold its ground, experiencing only a modest 25% drop in its latest week. However, the film’s overall performance remains somewhat underwhelming, with a total box office tally of $35.7 million. Despite its enduring presence, it appears that A Haunting in Venice hasn’t quite reached the heights Disney had hoped for at the box office.
Slipping from fourth place to #7, The Nun II continues to haunt audiences at the box office as it enters its fifth weekend of release. Despite a 46% decline in earnings, the film managed to conjure up approximately $2.6 million in its recent week. To date, The Nun II has amassed a cumulative box office total of $81.1 million.
Sony’s meme stock comedy Dumb Money, currently at #8, is in its fourth week and has slipped from its previous #7 spot. In its latest weekend, it generated $2.2 million, reflecting a 35% decline with a cumulative box office total of $10.6 million.
Taking the #9 spot in its sixth weekend is Equalizer 3, which generated approximately $1.8 million at the box office. This latest weekend’s performance brings the film’s cumulative domestic total to an impressive $88 million. However, the movie experienced a 32% drop in ticket sales compared to the previous week.
In the #10 spot, the 30th-anniversary reissue of Disney’s 1993 classic Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker, enchanted its way into the top 10 with $1.5 million in earnings. This re-release evokes memories of the early COVID days when studios re-released older films for wide audiences. In 2020, Hocus Pocus was among the most successful of these reissues, grossing an impressive $5 million.
REELated:
The Top 10
1. The Exorcist: Believer (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: C; Metacritic: 39; Est. budget: $30 million
$27,200,000 in 3,663 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $7,426; Cumulative: $27,200,000
2. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie (Paramount) Week 2; Last weekend #1
$11,750,000 (-48%) in 4,027 (+38) theaters; PTA: $2,918; Cumulative: $38,867,000
3. Saw X (Lionsgate) Week 2; Last weekend #2
$8,150,000 (-55%) in 3,262 (no change) theaters; PTA: $2,498; Cumulative: $32,555,000
4. The Creator (Disney) Week 2; Last weekend #3
$6,100,000 (-57%) in 3,680 (no change) theaters; PTA: $3,680; Cumulative: $36,900,000
5. The Blind (Fathom) Week 2; Last weekend #5
$3,127,000 (-28%) in 1,312 (-403) theaters; PTA: $2,379; Cumulative: $10,487,000
6. A Haunting in Venice (Disney) Week 4; Last weekend #6
$2,700,000 (-25%) in 2,425 (-360) theaters; PTA: $1,127; Cumulative: $35,700,000
7. The Nun II (WB) Week 5; Last weekend #4; also on PVOD
$2,575,000 (-46%) in 2,492 (-379) theaters; PTA: $1,033; Cumulative: $81,060,000
8. Dumb Money (Sony) Week 4; Last weekend #7
$2,150,000 (-35%) in 2,837 (no change) theaters; PTA: $758; Cumulative: $10,635,000
9. The Equalizer 3 (Sony) Week 6; Last weekend #5; also on PVOD
$1,835,000 (-32%) in 1,526 (-658) theaters; PTA: $1,202; Cumulative: $88,837,000
10. Hocus Pocus (Disney) (reissue)
$1,542,000 in 1,578 theaters; PTA: $1,078; Cumulative: $(adjusted) $106,500,000
This weekend, all the movies combined managed to earn a total of $72.8 million at the box office. To put it in perspective, this is a significant increase from the $61.6 million earned during the first weekend of October last year. In that particular weekend, SMILE took the lead by earning $18.5 million in its second weekend after experiencing a modest decline of only 18% from its opening weekend.
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