LOS ANGELES – Fifty years after the first Exorcist film, the newly released The Exorcist: Believer topped the North American box office last weekend with an estimated US$27.2 million (S$37.2 million) in ticket sales, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said on Sunday.
Analyst David Gross called that “a good opening for a horror sequel”, the best of the Exorcist movies (1973 to present), despite what he said were poor reviews and lukewarm audience scores for Blumhouse and Universal’s Halloween-timed film.
Like the 1973 film, Believer features possessed victims convulsing, covered in sores and speaking in tongues. It also has a decidedly interfaith exorcism.
American actors Leslie Odom Jr and Ann Dowd star in the latest movie, with an appearance by actress Ellen Burstyn from the first film directed by the late William Friedkin.
Believer was to have opened on Friday the 13th, but the studio moved up its release to avoid conflicting with the release that day of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, a concert film certain to generate big numbers, Variety magazine reported.
The previous weekend’s box-office leader, Paramount’s family-friendly Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, slipped slightly to second, at US$11.8 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period.
The Paw pups, using new superpowers as they fight to protect their city, are voiced by actors Taraji P. Henson, Chris Rock, Serena Williams and McKenna Grace.
In third place, also down one spot, is Lionsgate’s horror flick Saw X, at US$8.2 million. This latest in the Saw series (2004 to present), again with American actor Tobin Bell as the infamous antagonist Jigsaw, has received strongly positive reviews.
The fourth spot, down from third, went to 20th Century Studios’ sci-fi thriller The Creator, at US$6.1 million. John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe and Allison Janney play humans in a world at war with artificial intelligence.
Holding steady in fifth position was Fathom Events’ faith-based movie The Blind, at US$3.1 million. It portrays swamp-dwelling reality TV star Phil Robertson’s real-life struggles with addiction and romance.
Rounding out the top 10 were A Haunting In Venice (US$2.7 million), The Nun II (US$2.6 million), Dumb Money (US$2.2 million), The Equalizer 3 (US$1.8 million) and Hocus Pocus: 30th Anniversary (US$1.5 million). AFP
• The Exorcist: Believer is showing in cinemas.
Source: Straits Times
