Blumhouse and Universal’s latest horror flick, The Exorcist Believer, has had a strong start at the box office, raking in $2.85 million in Thursday previews.
Coincidentally, this film, directed by David Gordon Green, opened exactly 50 years after the release of the original Exorcist. Green and Blumhouse have high hopes of reinventing the Exorcist brand, much like they did with the Halloween franchise. However, there is a lot at stake, as Universal reportedly paid a whopping $400 million for the rights to the franchise in 2021, with two more sequels already in the works.
As of now, The Exorcist Believer is projected to have an opening weekend of $30 million to $35 million domestically. However, it remains to be seen if negative word of mouth will impact the R-rated film, as it received a disappointing critic score of 20 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie will also open in over 40 international markets this weekend. It’s not unusual for Exorcist films to receive mixed reviews from critics. While the franchise started strong with the acclaimed 1973 classic directed by William Friedkin, its four previous sequels didn’t receive much praise.
What sets The Exorcist Believer apart is the return of Ellen Burstyn in her iconic role as Chris MacNeil, a character forever changed by the events that happened to her daughter Regan five decades ago. The film centers around Victor Fielding, played by Leslie Odom Jr., who becomes entangled in the possession of his daughter Lidya Jewett and her friend Olivia Marcum.
