What is the budget of The Exorcist Believer?

"The Exorcist Believer," a horror released in 2023, was directed by David Gordon Green and stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett. The production budget was $30,000,000, placing it in the mid-budget range for horror productions of its era.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a horror production like this include:

Practical Effects, Prosthetics & Makeup: Horror productions invest disproportionately in practical effects , prosthetic applications, animatronics, blood and gore effects, and creature suits. A single hero creature suit can cost $50,000 to 200,000.
Atmospheric Production Design & Cinematography: Creating dread through environment is essential. Abandoned locations must be secured and dressed, lighting rigs designed for shadow and tension, and sets built to enable specific camera movements and reveals.
Sound Design & Score: Horror is arguably the most sound-dependent genre. Foley work, ambient textures, frequency manipulation, and jump-scare stingers require specialized sound designers working with unconventional techniques.
Casting: Ellen Burstyn reprised her role as Chris MacNeil from the original film, with Leslie Odom Jr.

What were the major cost factors in The Exorcist Believer?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Exorcist Believer."

Practical Effects: Practical Effects, Prosthetics & Makeup is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.
Atmospheric Production Design: Atmospheric Production Design & Cinematography is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.
Sound Design: Sound Design & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in horror productions of this scale.

How Does The Exorcist Believer's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $30,000,000, The Exorcist Believer sits in the mid-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

A Hologram for the King (2016): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $9,169,507
A Lot Like Love (2005): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $42,886,719
Big Momma's House (2000): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $173,959,438
Crazy Rich Asians (2018): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $238,539,198
Doomsday (2008): Budget $30,000,000, Worldwide Gross $22,472,631

The median budget for wide-release horror films in the 2020s ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

The Exorcist Believer Box Office Performance

"The Exorcist Believer" earned $65,537,395 domestically and $136,998,069 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $30,000,000, the film performed strongly at the box office.

A film typically needs to earn approximately twice its production budget to cover marketing and distribution costs. For "The Exorcist Believer," that break-even threshold was roughly $60,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $136,998,069, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $30,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $136,998,069
Net Return: $106,998,069
ROI: approximately 356.7%

At 356.7%, "The Exorcist Believer" earned roughly $4.57 for every $1 invested in production.

The Exorcist Believer Production History

Ellen Burstyn reprised her role as Chris MacNeil from the original film, with Leslie Odom Jr. co-starring as a father who tracks down Chris to help his possessed child. Raphael Sbarge joined the cast as a pastor. Jennifer Nettles has a "primary role" in the film. Helen Leahey was cast as the main voice of the demon.

In February 2022, Burstyn stated that she had completed production for her part in the film. Though Green had previously stated that he would begin work on the sequel after completing Halloween Ends (2022), given the actress' age and the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the production team worked with Burstyn to make sure they had her part completed for the film. Linda Blair, who portrayed Regan MacNeil in the first film, was an "advisor" on set.

Awards and Recognition

2 wins & 22 nominations total

Critical Reception

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale, the same as The Exorcist III and Exorcist: The Beginning, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 61% positive score.