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

“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 it 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.