A SUPERNATURAL SURPRISE: SPIRITUAL HORROR/THRILLER NEFARIOUS STARRING SEAN PATRICK FLANERY AND JORDAN BELFI DEBUTS IN TOP 10 IN ITS OPENING WEEKEND; FILMMAKERS EYE EXPANSION Smart Horror Film With A Message Outperforms With Both Mainstream & Faith-Based Audiences Notches $1426 (est.) Per Theatre Average Official Web Site Trailer NEFARIOUS, the faith-tinged psychological thriller starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Jordan Belfi opened on 933 screens across North America April 14, and surprised box office watchers with estimated earnings of just under $1,330,000 (comprised of Friday, 4/14 (estimate) = $505,000; Saturday, 4/15 (estimate) = $470,000; and Sunday, 4/16 (estimate) = $355,000), coming in at #10 in the box office boasting a $1426 per theatre average, behind genre competitors THE POPE’S EXORCIST and RENFIELD. Inspired by the book A Nefarious Plot by New York Times best-selling author Steve Deace, the chilling psychological horror film was written, produced and directed by Cary Solomon & Chuck Konzelman. “We are excited to have debuted in the top ten this weekend. We’ll be discussing expanding next week with our team and look forward to reaching even more moviegoers in coming days,” noted the filmmakers. NEFARIOUS is a rare R-rated film that has found an audience with both mainstream and faith audiences and praise for the film has come from various quarters. “”…one of the year’s best films…it’s one of the most addictive legal dramas with horror elements since ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose,’” noted Infamous Horrors. “A riveting new thriller,” noted Digital Journal while Bounding Into Comics called it “one of the best movies to come out in 2023 and at this point should be considered one of the best movies of the year.” The Saturday Evening Post compared it to C.S. Lewis’s classic Screwtape Letters while Newsweek cited the film among those proving the devil is getting his due in American pop culture. https://www.newsweek.com/satan-getting-hot-hell-american-pop-culture-1790669 On the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer (Flanery, THE BOONDOCK SAINTS) gets a last-minute, court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. The killer astonishes visiting psychiatrist Dr. James Martin (Belfi, Entourage) by insisting that instead of trying to avoid his execution, he is in fact a demon—Nefarious—who wants his execution to go forward. Nefarious further predicts that before the day is out, the doctor will have committed three murders of his own. As a storm gathers outside the prison, Nefarious chips away at Dr. Martin’s resolve and conviction, confounding and unsettling him so much that he begins to doubt his own sanity and fears for his life. As the two face off, they deliver crackling energy and a series of disturbing preternatural revelations propelling them to an inexorable, astounding conclusion. Writing, directing and producing partners Solomon & Konzelman have more than thirty years’ experience in the entertainment industry, having worked with Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox; with producers Joel Silver, John Davis, Stan Lee and Crusader Entertainment; and with talent from Bruce Willis to Sylvester Stallone. Their most recent film projects include UNPLANNED, WHAT IF and DO YOU BELIEVE. courtesy NEFARIOUS Trailer link HERE “If we’ve done our job right,” the directors conclude, “then after watching this film, you will be convinced of the possibility of a personal, supernatural force of darkness who drives the evils of this world. What you decide to do with that knowledge will be up to you.” Click to watch trailer NEFARIOUS A film by Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman A Believe Entertainment Production Running Time: 98 minutes Web and Social Web | IMDB | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | TikTok