Warner Bros. had little or no confidence within the movie after they had been on the brink of launch it on December 26, 1973, simply after Christmas. Partly, the studio felt strongly that they had been going to get an X score, which might have killed its business prospects. “I by no means thought we would get an R,” William Friedkin stated in that very same THR piece from 2015. “Even Warner Bros. anticipated an X score, which is why they pre-booked it in solely 26 theaters for six months.”
With such a small preliminary rollout, it really was a slow-build scenario for “The Exorcist.” However 50 years in the past, films did not stay or die as a lot by opening weekend. Audiences ultimately caught on, and Warner Bros. realized they’d one thing — over time, the movie expanded into increasingly theaters and stored making increasingly cash. In its preliminary run alone, Friedkin’s horrific story of a woman possessed grossed $193 million domestically. That is to say nothing of abroad audiences, despite the fact that the worldwide field workplace wasn’t as massive of an element again then.
And that was just the start, as Friedkin’s unique director’s reduce ultimately made its means out into the world in 2000, with a giant theatrical re-release. This reduce famously included the Regan spider-walking down the steps scene. Twenty-seven years after it first hit theaters, “The Exorcist” was as soon as once more successful, taking in $112 million worldwide, making it one of the vital profitable re-releases ever. All advised, the movie has made a staggering $441 million worldwide thus far. Or, for just a little extra context, greater than 36 occasions the unique manufacturing price range. No quantity of intelligent studio accounting can conceal that a lot revenue. To not point out the (admittedly much less worthwhile) sequels which have adopted, together with the upcoming “The Exorcist: Believer.”