The Exorcism—Russell Crowe’s new horror movie—is playing in theaters. How soon will it be available on streaming?
Released in theaters on Friday, The Exorcism stars Crowe as Tony Miller, a once-successful actor who is struggling to make a comeback because of addiction issues. Tony finds a break, however, with the opportunity to play a priest in a movie akin to the horror film classic The Exorcist, but he brings to the role some deep trauma he experienced in his youth.
Dealing with both the loss of his wife and the trauma he suffered as a teen, Tony finds himself on a horrifying collision course since he’s bringing his personal demons to a project that is seemingly cursed by a devilish entity.
Directed by Joshua John Miller, The Exorcism also stars Ryan Simpkins as Tony’s estranged adult daughter, Lee, Chloe Bailey as one of Tony’s co-stars, Blake, and David Hyde Pierce as Father Conor—a priest brought aboard the film as a consultant.
The Exorcism has a personal tie to The Exorcist. Joshua John Miller’s late father—Jason Miller—played Father Karras in the 1973 horror film classic. Joshua John Miller co-wrote the screenplay for The Exorcism with M.A. Fortin.
Right now, the only way to see The Exorcism is in theaters.
Like most theatrical films, The Exorcism is expected to premiere on digital streaming on various online platforms first.
Financed by Miramax and distributed by Vertical Entertainment, The Exorcism, per Deadline, has an 18-day theatrical window. That means the film will likely appear on premium video on demand sometime after July 9. No PVOD date has been announced yet for the film.
It’s entirely possible that The Exorcism does premiere on PVOD on July 9, though, since a previous high-profile Vertical Entertainment release—the Johnny Depp historical drama Jeanne du Barry—debuted on digital streaming on May 21, which was 18 days after its limited theatrical release on May 3.
Like Jeanne du Barry, The Exorcism’s SVOD date is yet to be determined. However, since Shudder is one of The Exorcism’s co-producers, it’s all but guaranteed that the film will makes its SVOD debut on the horror-themed streaming service.
Other recent Vertical Entertainment releases include the Henry VIII historical drama Firebrand, starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander.
‘The Exorcism’ Marks The First Time Pierce Worked With Crowe
Esteemed Frasier actor David Hyde Pierce, who has divided his time between stage, television and movies throughout his nearly 40-year screen career, told me in a recent Zoom conversation that the opportunity to work with Russell Crowe was one of the reasons he signed on to star in The Exorcism.
Pierce said Crowe fulfilled his expectations during filming and wasn’t surprised by the Oscar-winning Gladiator star’s commitment to his role as Tony Miller.
“The only reason I wasn’t taken aback by the depth to which he could go as an actor is that I’ve seen basically everything that he’s ever done,” Pierce said. “He can pretty much do anything and has done everything.”
According to Deadline, The Exorcism is expected to open at No. 7 at the domestic box office this weekend with an estimated take of $2 million to $2.2 million at 2,240 theaters.
