It may surprise avid watchers of the 2023 new movie releases, but recent exorcism thriller The Pope’s Exorcist has proven to be quite popular. Banking some rather promising grosses, the Russell Crowe-starring movie is apparently so hot that it’s getting a sequel. What’s more, there’s a promising development that points towards Crowe’s character being back for this next bout with holy terror.
The update comes from an exclusive through Bloody-Disgusting, as the horror news site discovered this information through an unnamed source. According to that publication, director Julius Avery’s mid-budget screamer has put in enough of a showing to impress its parent studio Sony to put The Pope’s Exorcist 2 into “early development.” Other than the expectation that Russell Crowe would be returning, no specifics on this new project have mentioned.
Looking at the quick and dirty figures of production budget versus grosses, which admittedly never tell the full story of hidden costs like marketing, it does look pretty rose for these rosaries. The Pope’s Exorcist was made on an estimated budget of $18 million, which looks absolutely lovely next to the estimated $52 million figure that’s come in through the worldwide market.
Last weekend’s box office was good to horror in general, as Evil Dead Rise’s opening haul rang some similar bells in cinemas over the previous weekend. Those who stick to their guns in proclaiming this genre as a constant at the movie market are certainly rewarded in their faith.
Russell Crowe fans can also celebrate this, as his star power is most definitely part of what made The Pope’s Exorcist the steady hit that it is. Though he’s not taking part in Gladiator 2 and Crowe’s uncertain status in the MCU is a bit of a holding pattern to navigate, the Academy Award winner can still carve out a niche similar to The Conjuring saga. As the real-life case files of Father Gabriele Amorth could be mined as effectively as the Warrens’ own paranormal history, our favorite Gladiator vet isn’t the only party who can leverage this picture’s success to their full advantage.
Circling back slightly to Evil Dead Rise, distributor Warner Bros./New Line must be very happy to be offering The Nun 2 as part of its 2023 portfolio. Between The Pope’s Exorcist and the return of the Deadites, the climate couldn’t be better for people of the cloth turning to Latin rites to save, or doom, the day.
We’re going to have to wait and see what happens with The Pope’s Exorcist 2, but its hypothetical predecessor is still showing in a theater near you. If you really want to make it a double feature from Hell, then be sure to schedule a screening of Evil Dead Rise in the same day. Unfortunately, based on what we know about The Nun 2, you’re still going to have to wait until September 8th for that particular entry in the holy horror canon. Though you can always scour the upcoming horror movies schedule for frights of another kind, if you dare!
