“The Exorcist: Believer” should have a solid start at the box office this weekend, but its potential to succeed “Halloween” as Universal and Blumhouse’s next revived horror franchise will be tested by poor reviews and competition from Taylor Swift’s “Eras” and other upcoming October titles.
David Gordon Green, director of the “Halloween” revival trilogy, returns for this film. It’s set 50 years after the events of William Friedkin’s iconic horror film, with Ellen Burstyn returning as Chris MacNeil, who helps the parents of two young girls who become demonically possessed.
The film is currently projected to earn an opening weekend of at least $30 million, with independent trackers’ predictions topping out at around $35 million. The production budget for “Exorcist: Believer” alone is reported to be at $30 million, unusually high for the famously thrifty Blumhouse but still low enough to allow it to turn a profit during its theatrical run.
But while critics and audiences were favorable to Green’s first installment of his “Halloween” trilogy in 2018, reviews have been poor so far for “Exorcist: Believer.” At the time of writing its Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 29% with 51 reviews logged, with many critics comparing it unfavorably to Friedkin’s original.
The unnerving performances of Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum as the two possessed girls may win over the younger horror fans that have dependably shown up for Blumhouse’s offerings, but the success of “Halloween” 2018 was that it was able to win over both longtime fans of the slasher franchise and newcomers too young to have seen Michael Myers on the big screen.
Hardcore “Halloween” fans love to see Michael no matter what the critics say, but “Exorcist” devotees, many of whom hold the late Friedkin in high regard, may not be as enthused by this new take on the series, which already has a sequel set for release in April 2025.
While the sequels “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween Ends” had their box office numbers tamped down by day-and-date releases on Peacock, there was still a clear decline in casual moviegoer interest in that series compared to the first installment. “Exorcist: Believer” will need to defy the critics and build enough audience buzz this weekend to withstand the upcoming October competition and build up enough hunger for more occult chaos if this franchise is going to have a heartbeat.
