The Highest-grossing Horror Movies of All Time
Horror films date back to the early 1900s, with Hollywood producing iconic movies such as Frankenstein (1931), Dracula (1931), and The Mummy (1932). Over time, this genre has evolved, expanding into sub-genres like slasher films and supernatural horrors.
In celebration of Halloween this year, we’ve ranked the top 15 highest-grossing horror movies of all time, using data from The Numbers.
Data Overview
The numbers in this graphic represent worldwide box office revenues. To compare revenue from these different time periods, all figures have been converted to 2022 USD. We used the CPI Inflation Calculator, a free tool created by Ian Webster.
The table below provides both dollar figures (inflation adjusted and non-adjusted).
| Movie | Released | Global Box Office Revenue (USD millions) |
Adjusted for inflation (USD millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Exorcist | 1973 | $428,824,083 | $2,826,528,589 |
| Jaws | 1975 | $482,947,378 | $2,627,088,613 |
| Jaws 2 | 1978 | $208,900,376 | $937,667,387 |
| It | 2017 | $701,012,746 | $836,959,323 |
| Alien | 1979 | $184,637,161 | $744,285,705 |
| The Silence of the Lambs | 1991 | $275,726,716 | $592,459,852 |
| Hannibal | 2001 | $350,100,280 | $578,536,924 |
| It: Chapter Two | 2019 | $467,561,586 | $535,226,330 |
| The Blair Witch Project | 1999 | $248,300,000 | $436,173,130 |
| Bram Stoker's Dracula | 1992 | $215,862,666 | $450,274,187 |
| Interview with the Vampire | 1994 | $223,564,608 | $441,481,017 |
| The Nun | 2018 | $363,391,647 | $423,312,046 |
| The Ring | 2002 | $248,218,486 | $403,794,263 |
| The Conjuring | 2013 | $316,479,150 | $397,581,826 |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife | 2010 | $295,874,190 | $397,096,652 |
After accounting for inflation, we can conclude that The Exorcist (1973) and Jaws (1975) are the two highest-grossing horror movies of all time. Furthermore, both of these movies are the first of their respective franchises.
The Jaws Franchise
The original Jaws was directed by Steven Spielberg, and featured a mechanical shark named “Bruce”.
Several sequels were released in the following years, each with declining critical reception.
| Title | Metacritic Score |
|---|---|
| Jaws (1975) | 87 |
| Jaws 2 (1978) | 51 |
| Jaws 3-D (1983) | 27 |
| Jaws: The Revenge (1987) | 15 |
The Exorcist Franchise
The original Exorcist film was also a massive success, even being called “the scariest movie ever” by LIFE magazine.
While the sequels failed to recreate the original’s success, a new trilogy was announced in July 2021, directed by David Gordon Green. The first of this series, The Exorcist: Believer, was released on Oct. 6, 2023.
As of Oct. 29, the film has grossed $109 million worldwide.
The Top Horror Movies of 2023
While no titles from 2023 made it into the top 15 list, many of them have still been successful.
As of Oct. 29, The Nun II is the best performing horror flick of 2023, with $263 million in global box office revenue (current USD). Further behind is Insidious: The Red Door ($186M) and Scream VI ($169M).
Where does this data come from?
Source: The Numbers
Data notes: Ranking was accessed on October 29, 2023. Please note that this data source is updated daily, and that the ranking will change over time. Lastly, amounts are inflation-adjusted to the date of release. Successful films continue earning some box office revenue as time goes on, so there are some slight limitations to this approach.
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