“The Ritual,” the upcoming exorcism horror in which Al Pacino and Dan Stevens play troubled priests, has sold out for most international territories by XYZ Films.
From director David Midell, the film was written by Midell and Enrico Natale, and produced by Andrew Stevens, Mitchell Welch and Natale. Ashley Greene and Abigail Cowen round out the cast.
XYZ, which has been quietly growing its own releasing arm on top of its sales operations, is planning a U.S. theatrical release in 2025.
Based on a true story, “The Ritual” follows two priests — one questioning his faith (Stevens) and one reckoning with a troubled past (Pacino) — who must put aside their differences to save a possessed young woman through a difficult and dangerous series of exorcisms. The film is an authentic portrayal of Emma Schmidt, an American woman whose demonic possession culminated in harrowing exorcisms. Her case remains the most thoroughly documented exorcism in American history.
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International sales include Umbrella for Australia/New Zealand, PremiereTV for Benelux, KMBO for France, Leonine for Germany/Austria/Switzerland, TFG for Greece, Plaion for Italy, NOS for Portugal, Inopia for Spain, Altitude for U.K./Ireland, Pro Rom for Eastern Europe, Volga for CIS Baltics, Falcon for Middle East, Siyah Beyaz for Turkey, IDC for Latin America, PVR for India, PT Prima for Indonesia, Antenna for Malaysia, Filmbridge for Mongolia, Pioneer for Philippines, Shaw for Singapore and JNC for South Korea and Vietnam.
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Upcoming and recent titles from XYZ include 2024 TIFF Platform title “Daniela Forever,” starring Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannó; “Full Throttle Mindset,” starring Josh Duhamel and Lukas Gage; “He Bled Neon” with Joe Cole and Rita Ora; “Kill Me” with Allison Williams and Charlie Day; “Free Fall” starring Zachary Levi and directed by Zoë Bell; Sundance title “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” which sold to Netflix; “Ash” starring Eiza González and Aaron Paul and directed by Flying Lotus; and the Netflix Original “Havoc,” directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forest Whitaker.
