The Exorcist Takes Box Office by Storm, Surpassing Expectations Despite Initial Criticism

Summary

Despite initial low expectations and negative reviews, The Exorcist: Believer has earned a global box office of $107 million.

The Exorcist: Believer, the sixth installment in the Exorcist franchise, is the first of a planned trilogy, following the legacy of the original 1973 classic. It has now become the 34th title of 2023 to surpass the significant milestone of $100 million.

The Exorcist: Believer has achieved a significant milestone at the box office this weekend. Despite initially lower expectations and negative reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie managed to earn $26.5 million in its opening weekend, surpassing its modest projections.

According to Variety, The Exorcist: Believer has now reached a noteworthy milestone by grossing $107 million worldwide, despite mixed reception from critics and audiences. This places it among the top 34 films of the year to exceed the $100 million mark, surpassing other horror movies released in 2023, including Talk To Me ($90 million), Saw X ($74.7 million), and The Boogeyman ($67.3 million).

How The Exorcist: Believer Compares to the Rest of the Franchise

The release of Exorcist: Believer may not have met expectations, but the box office numbers suggest that the franchise is actually gaining momentum. This is also reflected in the critical reception, as Believer ranks in the middle of Exorcist sequels on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing both 2004's Exorcist: The Beginning and 1977's Exorcist II: The Heretic, which only scored 11%. However, it is in terms of commercial success that The Exorcist: Believer truly outshines the other films in the series.

The Exorcist: Believer has become the highest-grossing installment in the Exorcist movie series since the immensely popular original classic, raking in a staggering $441 million globally. Interestingly, Believer is the only other Exorcist film to surpass $100 million in worldwide earnings. The second highest earner in the series was Exorcist: The Beginning, which brought in $78.1 million, far surpassing the earnings of The Exorcist III ($39 million), Exorcist II ($30.7 million), and Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist ($251,000).

This achievement at the box office bodes well for the forthcoming sequel, The Exorcist: Deceiver, which is scheduled for release in 2025. While Believer has already recouped its production costs, the trilogy still has a long way to go in order to compensate for the substantial $400 million price tag that the studio paid for the distribution rights to the franchise. If the next film can garner a higher critical acclaim as well as captivate a larger audience, the new branch of the Exorcist franchise stands a good chance of becoming profitable.

Source: Variety