The Exorcist: Deceiver gets a cautious update from Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum after the reboot’s disappointing performance last year. Directed by David Gordon Green, The Exorcist: Believer‘s reviews were middling to negative right out of the gate upon its release in October, with its box office performance also underwhelming. The reboot, originally intended to serve as the first installment in a trilogy, followed Universal Pictures’ purchase of the franchise’s worldwide rights for a stunning $400 million. As a result of the film’s poor performance, Green exited the planned sequel and the movie was removed from the release calendar.
With no release date for The Exorcist: Deceiver in sight, Blum shares an update on the new film during a recent interview with The Direct. According to the CEO, another movie is on the way, but it’s not yet clear what it will look like. Read his full comment below:
“We are definitely going to make another Exorcist movie, but I wanted more time to figure out what it would be. I have no idea what it’s going to be yet.”
The Exorcist: Deceiver Will Probably Be Completely Different
What’s next for the Exorcist franchise?
In all likelihood, the next film in the beloved horror franchise will not be called The Exorcist: Deceiver. Considering Green’s departure and Blum’s most recent comment, it’s a safe bet that whatever plans were in place to continue the story after the end of The Exorcist: Believer will be retooled, and the franchise will get something of another soft reboot. It wouldn’t make sense, after all, to continue a story in a vein that clearly didn’t resonate with viewers.
The Exorcist: Believer currently holds a lackluster 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score better but still disappointing at 59%. While not the worst scores of the franchise (see the chart below), it evidently signals that the reboot didn’t really connect in the way that Blumhouse and Universal were hoping. The movie was also a major box office disappointment, grossing only $137 million worldwide. This isn’t a terrible result when comparing it against the movie’s $30 million production budget, but it is when factoring in what the rights cost.
Title | Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score | Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
The Exorcist (1973) | 78% | 87% |
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) | 11% | 13% |
The Exorcist III (1990) | 59% | 57% |
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004) | 11% | 27% |
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005) | 30% | 25% |
The Exorcist (2016-2017) | 89% | 91% |
The Exorcist: Believer (2023) | 22% | 59% |
The chart above suggests that almost every Exorcist sequel hasn’t been all that well-received, calling into question why Universal would pay $400 million for the rights. William Friedkin’s 1973 original remains beloved, but it’s possible that there’s been an overestimation of how much audiences (especially younger audiences) want to see additional sequels to it. In order to right the ship, The Exorcist: Deceiver, or whatever it ends up being called, will need to successfully reinvent the franchise and bring in those who aren’t already die-hard fans.
The Exorcist: Deceiver
The second part of David Gordon Green’s new Exorcist trilogy, The Exorcist: Deceiver, picks up after the events of the 2023 supernatural horror film based on the works of William Peter Blatty.
- Director
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David Gordon Green
- Studio(s)
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Morgan Creek Entertainment
- Distributor(s)
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Universal Pictures
, Peacock - Writers
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David Gordon Green
- Franchise(s)
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The Exorcist
- prequel(s)
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The Exorcist: Believer
