The power of Christ was not all that compelling last weekend when Universal and Blumhouse’s “The Exorcist: Believer” debuted atop the box office with $26.4 million in domestic revenue against a budget of $30 million.
But NBCUniversal has a lot more on the line with the David Gordon Green-directed film: In July of 2021, it shelled out $400 million for the rights to “Exorcist” IP. With poor reviews and a C from CinemaScore, Universal may need a miracle to avoid devilish red ink.
What did that $400 million buy? In a word, everything. Studio insiders told TheWrap that the price tag —which TheWrap believes is the most ever paid for a horror franchise — included production budgets for three feature-length movies, producer fees, talent buyouts, rights backends and the ability to use the IP company-wide.