After moving up their premiere date one week out of fear of the force of Taylor Swift, The Exorcist: Believer has one week of owning the screams of terror before the Swifties take over with screams of delight. The sequel film (one that is launching a new trilogy, mind you) earned $11.9 million on Friday and is expected to earn $28 million over the opening weekend. Compared to recent horror releases like the playful Saw X and the lucrative but biblical The Nun 2, Believer falls somewhere in the middle. It is not a total flop but also not a huge money maker, at least not yet. Despite getting less than favorable reviews, it has a chance to catch up as Halloween soon approaches, a.k.a. the Eras tour for horror fans. Unless it gets Swiftly blocked by the movie that’s already breaking presale records, Believer will just have to learn to shake it off.
