‘The Exorcist: Believer’ takes possession of box office with $27.2 million opening

By ANDREW DALTON
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “The Exorcist: Believer” took possession of the weekend box office with a North American opening of $27.2 million. According to studio estimates Sunday, the latest sequel to the 1973 horror classic was a runaway No. 1 in its opening weekend for Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, but still fell short of expectations with no other new releases with which to compete. Last week’s top film, “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,” was a distant second with, $11.8 million, and has earned $38.9 million after two weekends. Another horror sequel, “Saw X,” was third for Lionsgate Films, with $8.2 million.