The Razzie Award nominations for the worst in film this year have been announced, with "Expend4bles" leading the pack with seven nominations, followed closely by "The Exorcist: Believer" and "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" with five each. Former Oscar winners Jon Voight, Russell Crowe, and Dame Helen Mirren are among the acting contenders, while the results were determined by the votes of Razzie Members. The 44th Annual Razzie "Winners" will be revealed on Saturday, March 9, the day before the Oscars.
Jeffrey Bryant, a 23-year-old man, fell asleep while watching "The Exorcist: Believer" at an AMC theater in Anaheim, California. He woke up at 3:47 a.m. to find himself locked inside the empty theater. Bryant documented his confusion in a TikTok video, which went viral. He spent over five hours trapped in the theater before finding an emergency exit to escape. The incident sparked humorous reactions from viewers, with some joking about the comfort of movie theater recliners.
"The Exorcist: Believer" dominates the box office, earning $27.2 million in its opening weekend, surpassing the combined earnings of the next three films. Despite underwhelming reviews, the horror sequel nearly recouped its reported $30 million budget. "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" came in second with $11.8 million, followed by "Saw X" with $8.2 million. The top five also included Disney's "The Creator" and "The Blind." "Barbie" fell out of the top 10 after earning over $600 million domestically and $1.3 billion globally.
The Exorcist: Believer, the reboot/sequel directed by David Gordon Green, opened to a global box office of $45.1 million, with a $17.9 million international debut. The film performed well in markets like Mexico, the UK, and Italy, but received mixed reviews. Meanwhile, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie continued its solid performance with an additional $14 million from overseas markets, bringing its global total to $87.1 million. Warner Bros celebrated surpassing $2 billion at the international box office for the year.
"The Exorcist: Believer" earned $2.85 million in Thursday previews, potentially leading to a high-$20 million to $30 million opening weekend. This is slightly higher than the previews for "Saw X," which made $2 million last Thursday. Despite mixed reviews, "The Exorcist: Believer" is expected to perform well at the box office.
Universal Studios is expecting strong Hispanic interest in "The Exorcist: Believer," a sequel to the classic 1973 horror film. Hispanic and Latino audiences have shown a preference for religious-horror releases, and they tend to represent a significant portion of horror movie audiences. The new film, which explores possession and demonic forces, is set to open in over 3,600 theaters and is projected to earn up to $30 million in its first weekend. While facing competition from other horror movies and Taylor Swift's concert film, "The Exorcist: Believer" is expected to perform well among Hispanic viewers, who appreciate the emotional and scary aspects of the genre.
The Exorcist: Believer, the latest installment in the horror franchise, is projected to have a strong domestic debut at the box office, with an estimated $30M-$36M opening. The film is trending well with the 18-34 demographic, Hispanic and Latino audiences, and older male viewers. Despite an ongoing actors strike affecting promotional efforts, branded horror films like The Nun 2 and Saw X have performed well recently. The big question is how The Exorcist: Believer will fare once Taylor Swift's concert film hits theaters. If it opens in the high-$20Ms, it could still be considered a record opening for the franchise.
Universal Pictures has moved up the release date of "The Exorcist: Believer" by one week to avoid competition with Taylor Swift's newly announced Eras Tour concert film, which will hit theaters on the original release date. The move came after Swift's global stardom threatened the box office prospects of the horror sequel. Anticipation for the Eras Tour movie is high, with Swifties causing delays on AMC Theatres' app when tickets went on sale. The Exorcist: Believer will now face opening weekend competition from Sony's "Dumb Money" and Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon."
