The Exorcist leads the worldwide box office with $45 million debut
Last updated: 8 October 2023
The purple patch continues for horror films this year. The Exorcist: Believer becomes the latest horror film to hit the jackpot, grossing $45.06 million in its opening weekend gross across 53 territories ($27.2M in North America). The sixth instalment in The Exorcist franchise, directed by David Gordon Green, starring Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O‘Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Ann Dowd, Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair, follows a photographer (Leslie Odom Jr.) who is forced to confront an evil after his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) and her best friend Katherine (Olivia O’Neill) are possessed.
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie retained its second spot on the chart with $25.75 million in its second weekend, registering a drop of 44% from its opening weekend, for a total gross of $87.06 million. The Canadian animated superhero comedy sequel, directed by Cal Brunker, featuring an ensemble voice cast of Christian Corrao, Luxton Handspiker, Callum Shoniker, Ron Pardo, Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, Chris Rock, North West, Saint West, Lil Rel Howery, Serena Williams, James Marsden, Kristen Bell and Finn Lee-Epp retained its second spot at the North American box office chart as well with $11.75 million for a total domestic gross of $38.86 million.
Chinese film Under The Light, directed by Zhang Yimou, starring Lei Jiayin, Zhang Guoli, Yu Hewei, Zhou Dongyu, Joan Chen and Sun Yizhou grossed $17.28 million in its second weekend for a total gross of $136.82 million. The urban crime-drama follows officers Su Jianming (Lei Jiayin) and Li Huilin (Zhou Dongyu) who investigate a crime involving wealthy businessman Li Zhitian (Yu Hewei) and uncover layers of political and business collusion.
The Creator, directed by Gareth Edwards, starring John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson and Allison Janney grossed $16.89 million in its second weekend, registering a drop of 47.7% from its first weekend, for a total gross of $61.82 million. The science-fiction action film, set in the backdrop of a dystopian world in 2070, follows an ex-special forces agent Joshua Taylor (John David Washington) who is recruited to hunt down and kill the “Creator”, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to destroy mankind. Joshua discovers that the world-ending weapon he has been instructed to destroy is an AI in the form of a young child (Madeleine Yuna Voyles). The Creator took the fourth spot at the North American box office with $6.9 million for a domestic total of $24.92 million.
Saw X, the tenth instalment in the Saw film series, grossed $14.56 million in its second weekend, dropping 50.3% from its opening weekend, taking its global tally to $52.74 million. Directed by Kevin Greutert and starring Tobin Bell as John Kramer and Shawnee Smith as Amanda Young who reprise their roles from the previous films alongside Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach, the horror film follows John Kramer (Tobin Bell) travelling to Mexico in hopes that an experimental procedure may cure his terminal cancer. John later discovers that the operation is a scam, prompting him to kidnap those responsible and subject them to his trademark death traps as retribution. Saw X took the third spot at the North American box office with $8.15 million for a domestic tally of $32.55 million.
Chinese film The Ex-Files 4: Marriage Plan is the sixth highest-grossing film at the worldwide box office over the weekend with $13.43 million in its second weekend for a total gross of $104.96 million. Directed by Tian Yusheng and starring Han Geng, Zheng Kai, Kelly Yu, Liu Yase and Zeng Mengxue, the fourth instalment of China’s leading romantic-comedy franchise follows two best buddies Meng Yun (Han Geng) and Yu Fei (Zheng Kai) , who stumble their way through marriage while Meng Yun has trouble finding the right one and Yu Fei is dealing with a trial marriage.
Chinese film Moscow Mission grossed $9.81 million in its second weekend, taking its tally to $61.2 million. Directed by Herman Yau and starring Andy Lau, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Xuan and Janice Man, the action film revolves around Chinese detectives who embark on a mission to Moscow to hunt down ruthless robbers who have been plaguing the trans-Siberian railway (K3/4 International Train) with violence and chaos.
Chinese film The Volunteers: To The War, the first part of the Volunteers trilogy, grossed $9.37 million in its second weekend for a total gross of $76.41 million. Directed by Chen Kaige and starring an ensemble cast of Xin Baiqing, Zhang Songwen, Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Ziyi, Zhu Yawen, Zhang Zifeng, Yin Fang and Wang Chuanjun, the film follows the Chinese People’s Volunteers Army as they enter North Korea and kick off the “Resist US, Aid Korea” war in 1950s.
Horror sequel The Nun 2 grossed $9.27 million in its fifth weekend for a total gross of $248.65 million. Directed by Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, The Curse of La Llorona), the horror film stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons, reprising their roles from the first film along with new cast members Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell. The film follows Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) as she once again comes face-to-face with Valak (Bonnie Aarons), the demon nun. In North America, the fifth film in The Conjuring Universe franchise grossed $2.5 million for a domestic total of $81.05 million.
A Haunting in Venice grossed $7.13 million in its fourth weekend ($3.8 million in North America) for a total gross of $102.65 million. The mystery threequel, directed by Kenneth Branagh, stars himself as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot alongside an ensemble cast that includes Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio and Michelle Yeoh. In the film, set in the backdrop of post-World War II Venice, Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) attends a séance where one of the guests is murdered and he is forced to use his detective skills once again to uncover the killer.
Note: The above box office data is consolidated and supplied by ComScore.
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