Universal found itself in purgatory over the Oct. 6-8 weekend with the release of The Exorcist: Believer, which is envisioned as a trilogy kickoff reboot of the iconic horror title.
While Believer performed solidly at the box office, recouping its production cost, the title drew critical hellfire from reviewers and fans, putting the franchise’s creative plan into a tailspin.
The Blumhouse-produced Believer is the first offspring from the studio’s 2021 purchase of the iconic horror franchise’s rights. The theatrical rights (for which Universal beat out rival bids) for three movies came with the heaven-high price tag of $400 million, but also included the films’ streaming rights for Peacock, and theme park extensions like this month’s Exorcist: Believer maze at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. (Look out, it’s a demonic movie critic!) So it’s not as if each film needs to make at least $133 million on its own.
The deal made sense to the studio, sources say, given that it would once again pair Blumhouse and Halloween director David Gordon Green on another iconic franchise. Still, producer Jason Blum dubbed Believer “the riskiest movie I have ever made” because of its cost. The new film features Ellen Burstyn returning to co-star in an Exorcist film for the first time since William Friedkin’s 1973 original.
Believer was tracking to pull down $30 million to $35 million, but that number slipped to $26.5 million when final numbers were tallied. Overseas, Believer opened to $17.6 million from its first 52 markets for a soft global start of $44.2 million.
“Even if it had opened to $35 million — as tracking from last week suggested — that would have been a disappointment,” says David Herrin, founder of tracking and research firm The Quorum. “Bringing back beloved IP doesn’t mean you will match the heights of these statistical anomalies [like Blumhouse’s 2018 Halloween reboot, which opened to a stunning $76.2 million]. You’re setting yourself up for failure.”
Additional headwinds included a last-minute date change to get in front of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film, the SAG-AFTRA strike limiting talent marketing, and a crowded horror marketplace with The Nun II and Saw X among Believer‘s rivals. The next few weeks are unclear for Believer, as horror movies can often keep rolling as Halloween approaches, but given the critical/viewer response — and Swifties invading cinemas this week to a projected opening of more than $100 million — Believer could get excised from screens faster than usual.
For now, we’re told Universal remains firmly possessed by its new IP — two more Exorcist films will still be made. But sources say Believer’s reception will almost certainly demand some degree of creative re-think for the next two films. The first sequel is supposed to be called Deceiver, which was announced for 2025 and has a completed script. Director Green was likewise expected to return, but he recently expressed some doubt about his participation (“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,” Green told THR. “But right now, I’m navigating it from a story perspective and looking at my realities of life as I pivot.”)
There is some near-term daylight on the horizon for Universal and Blumhouse, however. Their next horror title, the video game-inspired, Chuck E. Cheese nightmare fuel Five Nights at Freddy’s (trailer below) is tracking to open strong Oct. 27 despite it being a day-and-date release with Peacock.
Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.
