What is the budget of The Pope’s Exorcist?

"The Pope’s Exorcist," a horror released in 2023, was directed by Julius Avery and stars Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto. The production budget was $18,000,000, placing it in the low-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.

What were the major cost factors in The Pope’s Exorcist?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "The Pope’s Exorcist."

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 Pope’s Exorcist's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $18,000,000, The Pope’s Exorcist sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

127 Hours (2010): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $35,700,000
A Dog's Way Home (2019): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $17,643,857
Amadeus (1984): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $90,007,557
And So It Goes (2014): Budget $18,000,000, Worldwide Gross $25,312,387
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004): Budget $18,000,000 , Gross $65,070,412

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

The Pope’s Exorcist Box Office Performance

"The Pope’s Exorcist" earned $20,009,380 domestically and $76,987,621 worldwide at the box office. Against a production budget of $18,000,000, 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 Pope’s Exorcist," that break-even threshold was roughly $36,000,000. With worldwide earnings of $76,987,621, the film cleared that threshold comfortably.

Production Budget: $18,000,000
Worldwide Gross: $76,987,621
Net Return: $58,987,621
ROI: approximately 327.7%

At 327.7%, "The Pope’s Exorcist" earned roughly $4.28 for every $1 invested in production.