If there’s one thing that has been proven countless times through multiple generations, it’s the fact that well marketed horror movies will always have a special place in the hearts of movie goers. The Last Exorcism is yet another movie that pulls inspiration from the famed 1973 blockbuster The Exorcist. No matter how many times the formula is washed, rinsed and repeated there always seems to be an audience for it. In 2005 The Exorcism of Emily Rose garnered 30 million dollars in its opening weekend. While this latest tale of demonic possession did not have as impressive of a showing, the profit made off of it is far from forgettable. The Last Exorcism pulled in 21.3 million making 20 times more than its production budget of 1.8 million. The Exorcism of Emily Rose had a budget of 19 million.
The success of The Last Exorcism has to be attributed partially to The Exorcist-heavy marketing campaign. The bulk of it centered around Ashley Bell, the young actress that bears a striking resemblance to Linda Blair in many of the ads. The similar night gown and contorted poses also brought to mind some of the horrifying moments of the 1973 horror masterpiece. If you’re going for shock in a film about demonic possession it is definitely wise to mimic the film that invented the genre. The Last Exorcism succeeded in not only grabbing the attention of audiences but also succeeded in setting itself apart from other supernatural duds such as 2009’s The Unborn and The Exorcist: The Beginning.
The other shock from this weekend’s numbers was Takers, a more urban version take on the Oceans Eleven franchise. The movie, held up by more hip hop artists than Hollywood star power, garnered 21 million in its opening weekend. Going into Sunday it looked like it was headed to the top of the box office charts. A late fall made the weekend a photo finish. Hayden Christensen continues to place himself in sleeper hits. Last year he was part of the sci-fi film Jumper. While it didn’t have the most impressive showing, the film spawned tremendous marketing opportunities. The impressive showing by such an unproven cast might mean we see more musical acts on the big screen, a trend that seems to wax and wane every other decade.