The Exorcist: Believer Brought Forward a Week, Seemingly Because of Taylor Swift

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The Exorcist: Believer is in possession of a new release date after Universal moved the film to October 6 to seemingly avoid a clash with Taylor Swift’s concert movie.

Swifties and scary movie enthusiasts who were hoping for a Barbenheimer-style moment with both The Exorcist: Believer and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie releasing on the same day might need to rethink their plans as famed horror producer Jason Blum has confirmed the “Exorswift” is not happening.

Taking to X, Blum announced The Exorcist: Believer will now open on October 6 instead of October 13 (aka Friday the 13th). He included the title of Taylor Swift’s 2017 single “Look What You Made Me Do” and the hashtag “Taylor Wins”, implying the date shifted to avoid a Swift showdown.

Look what you made me do.

The Exorcist: Believer moves to 10/6/23#TaylorWins

— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) August 31, 2023

Blum shared the “Exorswift” hashtag in another post without explanation, though he quickly followed up with the release date change. The announcement came after Swift revealed the concert film from her Eras tour would open in cinemas on October 13 — the same day as The Exorcist: Believer before it moved.

The next Exorcist installment will kick off a planned trilogy of movies, which will continue the story of the 1973 classic rather than attempt to remake it. The original film famously starred Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil, an actress and mother who seeks help after finding her daughter possessed by a demonic presence.

Halloween director David Gordon Green is behind the new Exorcist, which sees Burstyn reprise her role alongside a cast that comprises Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, and Jennifer Nettles. However, Green wants audiences to know The Exorcist: Believer is “not an Easter Eggy movie” like Blumhouse’s recent Michael Myers-centric entries.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.