Blumhouse
UPDATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Universal/Blumhouse/Morgan Creek’s The Exorcist: Believer is currently starting at $28 million. This is in the middle range of successful horror films such as “Evil Dead” (24.5 million US dollars), “Smile” (22.6 million US dollars) and “The Black Phone” (23.6 million US dollars). dollars) and is just under the $30 million of the tracking films, but a far cry from the $76.2 million premiere of “David” in 2018 Gordon Green’s Halloween, and it’s an opening, which doesn’t look very good considering the $400 million the studios spent on the franchise, which was in a competitive situation which meant the price kept going up. We’re still thinking about it. I was told that this time it was a purchase of the franchise rights and not just a deal for three films that would cost $133 million each. When have you ever heard of a horror movie costing that much? Never. What we told you is that The Exorcist reboot was made for $30 million before P&A. Friday is $12 million in 3,663 theaters, including last night’s $2.85 million in previews.
Paramount’s “Paw Patrol: The Might Movie” at 4,027 theaters records $2.8 million on second Friday, $11.5 million on three days and -49% on $38.6 million on 10 days.
In third place is “Saw
New Regency/20th Century Studios/Disney’s The Creator in 3,680 theaters has a second expected Friday of $1.5 million, three-day $5.3 million, -62% for a running total of $24.1 million Dollars through EOD Sunday.
In fifth place is New Line’s The Nun 2 with a fifth Friday of $750,000, a three-day hit of $2.6M, -46% and a running total of $81M.
At the weekend, all films are expected to cost less than $100 million again.
FRIDAY ON: David Gordon Green’s “The Exorcist: Believer” held the horror peace train at the box office with $2.85 million in previews Thursday night on its way to a potential $20 million to $30 million peak.
Previews began at 5 p.m. in 3,050 theaters. Universal has Imax and PLFs on this one, booked in 3,663 theaters.
“Saw X” Lionsgate
“Exorcist: Believer” previews cost just $850,000 more than the take of Lionsgate’s “Saw X” last Thursday; that the $13 million production closed its first week very well with an estimated $24.4 million. That’s more than 2017’s Jigsaw aka Saw 8, which grossed $22.1 million in its first week. Tenth-ranked horror film “Twisted Pics” led the BO in its weekdays, although Paramount and Spin Master’s “PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” won last weekend.
The canine cartoon ended its first week with an estimated $27.1 million. Unlike Barbenheimer last summer, it wasn’t a Saw Patrol-style week with moviegoers showing up at theaters dressed like Jigsaw and the puppies Delores and Skype, but it was a pretty good fall picture at the top of the chart in the midst of an actors’ strike, if the actors can’t promote.
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“The Nun 2,” its demo version of Exorcist: Believer with its targeting of 18- to 34-year-olds and older men, earned $3.1 million in previews before opening to $32.6 million.
While Saw But the Exorcist package didn’t cost that much for Universal, Peacock, Blumhouse and Morgan Creek – Exorcist: Believer itself only cost $30 million as a feature film production before P&A. By the way, that’s not the lowest rank for an Exorcist film, as Exorcist II: The Heretic scored 9% in 1977, according to the review aggregator site.
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It’s still a far cry from Green’s 2018 reboot of Halloween, which received a 79% fresh rating from critics. Halloween attracted $7.7 million in previews and was October’s fourth-highest opening with $76.2 million. Exorcist: Believer sees Ellen Burstyn’s return to the franchise as the mother of the demon-possessed child; Her last appearance was in the late William Friedkin’s original 1973 film.
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson in “Kraven the Hunter” Sony Pictures
This past weekend we were originally supposed to see Sony’s launch of the Marvel franchise Kraven the Hunter, but the Culver City event postponed the film to next Labor Day weekend due to the actors’ strike. While less product is bad for exhibition, it’s a smart film on behalf of Sony that really needs this picture’s cast, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Ariana DeBose, to back the picture up. “Exorcist: Believer” was originally scheduled to hit theaters on October 13th, until AMC’s concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” found its way into the schedule, seeing crazy advance sales and sending the Uni/Blumhouse title into theaters a week early brought.
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Saw In third place was the New Regency/20th Century Studios/Disney sci-fi film “The Creator,” starring Gareth Edwards, which grossed $814,000 yesterday, down 20% from Wednesday, for sales of $18. 8 million US dollars in the first week. Fathom’s The Blind took fourth place yesterday with an estimated $565,000, up 27% from Wednesday’s week-to-date total of $6.5 million and a running total of $7.3 million. Fathom heads into the weekend with another faith-based title, “Mother Teresa & Me,” which opened yesterday in fifth place for the day with an estimated $348,000 in prize money.