Al Pacino's new horror movie, , can help with the wait for Russell Crowe's sequel to his $77 million hit. The Exorcist, released in 1973, remains the benchmark for exorcism movies, a genre that has seen a resurgence in recent years, largely thanks to Crowe. The Oscar-winning actor recently starred in two similarly titled exorcism movies in consecutive years, The Pope's Exorcist in 2023 and The Exorcism in 2024. However, the former, possibly because it was released first, was the more successful of the two, and even has a sequel on the way.

Based on his own book, The Pope's Exorcist follows Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe), the Vatican's chief exorcist, who is sent to investigate the demonic possession of an American boy in Spain and discovers a centuries-old conspiracy that the church has tried to keep buried for centuries. Other than Crowe, the cast includes Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, and Franco Nero in supporting roles. The horror film was a hit at the box office, which led to a sequel being greenlit. However, it's unclear when the sequel will hit screens.

While audiences wait for The Pope's Exorcist 2, another Oscar-winning actor, Al Pacino, is starring in the new exorcism movie, The Ritual. (played by Pacino), a priest having a crisis of faith, and Father Joseph Steiger (Dan Stevens), a priest dealing with his turbulent past, who join forces to perform a series of exorcisms on Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen), a young woman allegedly experiencing demonic possession.

Co-written and directed by David Midell, The Ritual is based on the true story that inspired The Exorcist, the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, which he then adapted into the 1973 film. The Ritual also stars Ashley Greene, Patricia Heaton, Ritchie Montgomery, María Camila Giraldo, Emily Brinks, Enrico Natale, Liann Pattison, and Courtney Rae Alle in supporting roles. , as it's set for release on June 6.

, following priests who are called upon to perform exorcisms. The trailer features some intense scenes, especially those involving a possessed Emmy twisting her body in disturbing ways. It indicates the film should deliver scares typical of exorcism-themed horror, reminiscent not only of recent examples like The Pope's Exorcist, but the genre's most iconic example, The Exorcist. After all, The Ritual is based on the true story that inspired it.

By releasing this summer, The Ritual will help with the wait for The Pope's Exorcist 2. In April 2023, the sequel entered early development, with Crowe expected to return to his role as Father Gabriele Amorth. By May 2024, The Pope’s Exorcist 2 was officially greenlit, though no cast members are confirmed to be returning quite yet. Additionally,, meaning audiences could be in for a long wait, making The Ritual a godsend for audiences eager for more exorcism movies.

Though The Pope's Exorcist reviews were mixed, with critics calling it formulaic but praising Crowe's performance, audiences responded well. The movie made $77 million at the box office against its relatively modest budget of $18 million. Based on the trailer for The Ritual, Pacino's film has some similar small-budget vibes and was possibly produced for even less. , especially since its demonic possession plot seems fairly conventional.

This could actually end up helping The Ritual, as The Pope's Exorcist and The Exorcist were both box office hits. It remains to be seen how stacks up against other exorcism movies, but if nothing else, it should at least help with the wait for The Pope's Exorcist 2.