While Universal is getting ready for the release of The Exorcist: Believer this weekend, the first reviews have come in and they’re quite dismal, putting Universal’s reportedly massive $400 million investmen in jeopoardy.
The project was first announced in August 2020, and it was revealed in July 2021 that Universal shelled out $400 million purely for the rights to The Exorcist franchise.
The studio also has two sequels in concurrent development, with all three set to be directed by The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green, who is coming off Universal’s Halloweet trilogy.
The first wave of reviews have surfaced from critics on Rotten Tomatoes with the legacy sequel to the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist earning just a 25% rating from the first 77 reviews.
The movie also made headlines last month when it became the first movie to shift its release date in the wake of Taylor Swift’s concert movie.
Believer: While Universal is getting ready for the release of The Exorcist: Believer this weekend, the first reviews have come in and they’re quite dismal, putting Universal’s reportedly massive $400 million investmen in jeopoardy
Sequel: The studio also has two sequels in concurrent development, with all three set to be directed by The Exorcist: Believer director David Gordon Green, who is coming off Universal’s Halloweet trilogy
While the box office projections for opening weekend are still tracking nicely – eyeing between a $30 million and $35 million debut – the critics are clearly not on board.
The film follows a young girl who is believed to be possessed by a demon, when her family turns to the one person who has any experience with being possessed: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), the young girl possessed in the original Exorcist movie.
The New York Times’ Jeannette Catsoulis bemoaned director David Gordon Green, whose former, ‘patience and sensitivity has now been sacrificed to the cannibalism of recycled ideas.’
She added, ‘While I don’t begrudge him his success, I do miss the filmmaker he used to be,’ likely referring to the indie films he made his bones with such as Undertow and All The Real Girls.
Catsoulis also added, ‘Double the possession, half the fun,’ a theme that runs through many other reviews including, Sydney Morning Herald’s Neil Geraets.
‘Green’s strategy seemed simple: double everything. Double the possessions, double the visual effects, double the stakes,’ he began.
‘But more isn’t always better, particularly when following a film praised for its horrifying rawness and simplicity,’ he added.
Matt Zoller Seitz from RogerEbert.com added in his negative review, ‘The Exorcist: Believer is a pretty good movie that’s so stuffed with characters and not-quite-developed ideas that you may come away from it thinking about what it could have been instead.’
Box office: While the box office projections for opening weekend are still tracking nicely – eyeing between a $30 million and $35 million debut – the critics are clearly not on board
Chris: The film follows a young girl who is believed to be possessed by a demon, when her family turns to the one person who has any experience with being possessed: Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), the young girl possessed in the original Exorcist movie
Possession: Catsoulis also added, ‘Double the possession, half the fun,’ a theme that runs through many other reviews including, Sydney Morning Herald ‘s Neil Geraets
Stuffed: Matt Zoller Seitz from RogerEbert.com added in his negative review, ‘The Exorcist: Believer is a pretty good movie that’s so stuffed with characters and not-quite-developed ideas that you may come away from it thinking about what it could have been instead’
One of the few positive reivews came from USA Today’s Brian Truitt, who gave the film three stars out of four.
‘Sure, we didn’t need another Exorcist. And Green’s recent Halloween trilogy ended up fumbling a good start,’ Truitt admited.
‘With a formidable Believer and two more Exorcist movies in the pipeline, though, at least this franchise still has a prayer,’ Truitt admitted.
One of the other few positive reviews was from The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee, who said, ‘A silly, gloopy Halloween shocker that offers just about enough goofy entertainment for an undemanding fright night crowd. But it might be close to impossible for those with deep reverence for the original…’
