The Exorcist: Believer Low Opening Weekend Box Office Numbers Revealed

Jamie Lovett

10/08/2023 11:32 am EDT

David Gordon Green's The Exorcist: Believer is the top film at the box office this weekend, but its gross isn't cause for celebration. The Exorcist: Believer, the first film to stem from Blumhouse's $400-million acquisition of the rights to The Exorcist, will take in $27.2 million in its opening weekend. That's below its projected $30 million opening weekend total, having earned $12 million on day one in theaters (with previews). The Exorcist: Believer has not been well received. It has a 23% positive score on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes and an audience score that isn't much better.

ComicBook.com's Kofi Outlaw awarded only two stars to The Exorcist: Believer in his review. He writes, "The Exorcist: Believer feels like it will go down as an odd and misguided attempt at a direct sequel – one that fails to provide any new soul to the franchise."

Last weekend's winner, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, will end up in second place this weekend. Saw X will likely land in third place, with The Creator and The Blind rounding out this weekend's top five films at the box office. A list of the top 10 movies at the box office this weekend follows.

1. The Exorcist: Believer

(Photo: Universal Pictures)

Opening Weekend
Total: $27.2 million

When his daughter, Angela, and her friend Katherine, show signs of demonic possession, it unleashes a chain of events that forces single father Victor Fielding to confront the nadir of evil. Terrified and desperate, he seeks out Chris MacNeil, the only person alive who's witnessed anything like it before.

David Gordon Green directed The Exorcist: Believer and co-wrote its screenplay with Peter Sattler, based on a story he developed with Scott Teems and Danny McBride. It stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn, and Linda Blair.

2. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie

(Photo: Paramount)

Week Two
Weekend: $11.75 million
Total: $38.8 million

The PAW Patrol pups magically gain superpowers after a meteor strikes Adventure City. However, things take a turn for the worse when Humdinger and a mad scientist steal their powers and turn themselves into supervillains. As the team springs into action to save the city, Skye soon learns that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.

Cal Brunker directed PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen. The film's voice cast includes Christian Corrao, Luxton Handspiker, Callum Shoniker, Ron Pardo, Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, North West, Saint West, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, and Finn Lee-Epp.

3. Saw X

(Photo: Lionsgate)

Week Two
Weekend: $8.15 million
Total: $32.5 million

Hoping for a miraculous cure, John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure, only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer uses deranged and ingenious traps to turn the tables on the con artists.

Kevin Greutert directed Saw X from a screenplay by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. It stars Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach.

4. The Creator

(Photo: 20th Century Studios)

Week Two
Weekend: $6.1 million
Total: $24.9 million

As a future war between the human race and artificial intelligence rages on, ex-special forces agent Joshua is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI. The Creator has developed a mysterious weapon that has the power to end the war and all of mankind. As Joshua and his team of elite operatives venture into enemy-occupied territory, they soon discover the world-ending weapon is actually an AI in the form of a young child.

Gareth Edwards directed The Creator and co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Weitz. It stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Allison Janney, and Madeleine Yuna Voyles.

5. The Blind

(Photo: Fathom Events)

Week Two
Weekend: $3.12 million
Total: $10.48 million

Long before Phil Robertson was a reality TV star, he fell in love, started a family, and began to spiral out of control. The Blind shares never-before-revealed moments in Phil's life as he seeks to conquer the shame of his past, ultimately finding redemption in an unlikely place.

Andrew Hyatt directed The Blind from a screenplay he co-wrote with Stephanie Katz. The film stars Aron Von Andrian, Amelia Eve, Connor Tillman, Emily DeForest, John Ales, Aaron Dalla Villa, Brielle Robillard, and Matthew Erick White.

6. A Haunting in Venice

(Photo: Rob Youngson)

Week Four
Weekend: $2.73 million
Total: $35.6 million

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot investigates a murder while attending a Halloween seance at a haunted palazzo in Venice, Italy.

Kenneth Branagh directed A Haunting in Venice from a screenplay by Michael Green, based on Agatha Christie's 1969 novel Hallowe'en Party. The film stars Branagh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Michelle Yeoh.

7. The Nun II

Week Five
Weekend: $2.57 million
Total: $81.06 million

In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.

Michael Chaves directed The Nun II from a screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper, based on a story by Cooper. It stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Storm Reid, and Anna Popplewell.

8. Dumb Money

(Photo: Sony)

Week Four
Weekend: $2.15 million
Total: $10.6 million

Everyday people flip the script on Wall Street and get rich by turning GameStop into one of the world's hottest companies. In the middle of everything is Keith Gill, a regular guy who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock. When his social media posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets wealthy -- until the billionaires fight back and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.

Craig Gillespie directed Dumb Money from a screenplay by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, based on the 2021 book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich. The film stars Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D'Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, and Seth Rogen.

9. The Equalizer 3

(Photo: Columbia Pictures)

Week Six
Weekend: $1.83 million
Total: $88..8 million

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall finds solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Now living in Southern Italy, he soon discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall becomes their protector by taking on the mafia.

Antoine Fuqua directed The Equalizer 3, the final installment of the film trilogy inspired by the 1985 The Equalizer television series. It stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ammar, and Remo Girone.

10. Hocus Pocus

Opening Weekend (of 30th-anniversary re-release)
Weekend: $1.54 million
Total (lifetime): $46.4 million

After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani, and their new friend, Allison. After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches' book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.

Kenny Ortega directed Hocus Pocus from a screenplay written by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, based on a story Garris developed with David Kirschner. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw.

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