As Deadline puts it:
1. Exorcist: Believer (Uni/Blumhouse) 3,663 theaters Fri $11.9M, 3-day $28M/Wk 1Universal/Blumhouse/Morgan Creek’s The Exorcist: Believer is opening to $28M at this point in time. While that’s in the mean range of successful horror films like Evil Dead ($24.5M), Smile ($22.6M) and The Black Phone ($23.6M), and just under tracking’s $30M, it’s very far from the $76.2M 2018 opening of David Gordon Green’s Halloween, and it’s an opening that doesn’t look very good next to the $400M that the studios shelled out for the franchise, which was in a competitive situation, meaning the price kept going up and up.
I’m told a this time that was a franchise rights buy, not solely a deal for three movies that would each cost $133M. When have you ever heard of a horror film costing that much? Never. What we’ve told you is that The Exorcist reboot was made for $30M before P&A. Friday is coming in at $11.9M at 3,663 theaters including Thursday night’s previews of $2.85M.
Also proving to be a bad first step for the studios with the franchise: Nobody likes it. In addition to critics giving it a 20% Rotten Tomatoes score, CinemaScore gave Exorcist: The Believer a C, with Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak audiences hating it worse at 61%. Nearly even split of men to femal at 51% male, with 58% of the audience between 18-34 and the largest demo being 24-34 at 32% with another 34% of the crowd over 35. Latino and Hispanic audiences led at 41%, Caucasian at 30%, Black at 13% and 15% Asian/other. As is typical for a horror movie, Believer played best in South Central and West. IMAX and PLF screens are driving close to 40% of ticket sales so far with the AMC Burbank with close to $50K the best in the country.
2. Paw Patrol: The Might Movie (Par) 4,027 Friday of $2.88M, 3-day $11.65M, -49%, Total $38.7M/Wk 2
3. Saw X (LG) 3,262 theaters, Fri $2.4M, 3-day $8M, -55%, Total $32.4M/Wk 2
4. The Creator (New Reg/20th/Dis) 3,680 theaters, Friday of $1.73M, 3-day of $6.12M, -56% Total $24.9M/Wk 2
5. The Nun 2 (NL) Fri $725K (-47%) , 3-day of $2.6M (-46%), Total $81M/Wk 5.
https://deadline.com/2023/10/box-office ... 235565802/