It – $700.4 million
Director Andy Muschietti’s two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s epic 1986 novel It was one of the most eagerly anticipated horror movie events of the era. When the first instalment arrived in 2017, showing the children of Derry in their first battle against the terrifying Pennywise, audiences flocked to see it in unprecedented numbers for a horror movie, resulting in record-breaking box office takings of $700,381,759.
The Sixth Sense – $672.8 million
Writer-director M Night Shyamalan blew away audiences everywhere and helped usher in a new era of understated, slow-burn horror movies with his 1999 blockbuster The Sixth Sense, which earned $672,806,292 worldwide. The Bruce Willis-fronted film was also nominated for six Oscars, but failed to win any; many feel that Haley Joel Osment was robbed of the Best Supporting Actor award.
I Am Legend – $585.3 million
Director Francis Lawrence’s 2007 apocalyptic horror is the third major film adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name (after Vincent Price movie The Last Man on Earth, and Charlton Heston movie The Omega Man). Thanks to a compelling lead turn for Will Smith, I Am Legend proved a huge hit, earning $585,349,010. A sequel with Michael B Jordan is in the pipeline.
World War Z – $540 million
Based loosely on Max Brooks’ 2006 novel, World War Z is the largest-scale zombie movie yet produced, with a budget somewhere between $190-$270 million and a superstar leading man in Brad Pitt. Though it had a troubled production and was met with lukewarm reviews, the film from director Marc Forster still drew a big audience to the tune of $540,007,876 in box office takings.
It Chapter Two – $473 million
Arriving two years after the first instalment, 2019’s It Chapter Two was widely considered something of a disappointment by comparison with the original. Bringing the story to a somewhat underwhelming conclusion, the film attracted a far smaller audience, earning $473,093,228; meagre takings compared to its predecessor, but still enough to make it one of the five highest earning horror movies ever to date.
The Exorcist – $441.3 million
Director William Friedkin’s 1973 adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist is one of the most significant horror movies ever made. As acclaimed as it was controversial, it was the highest-earning horror movie ever at the time, amassing $441,306,145 worldwide. It’s worth noting that adjusted for inflation this equates to $1.011 billion, meaning The Exorcist can still be considered the biggest horror hit ever.
Signs – $408.2 million
Hot on the heels of The Sixth Sense and subsequent hit Unbreakable, M Night Shyamalan gave his own unique spin on an alien invasion movie with 2001’s Signs, starring Mel Gibson as a priest-turned-farmer who finds massive crop circles in his corn field. The film (co-starring Joaquin Phoenix and a young Abigail Breslin) remains Shyamalan’s second-biggest hit, earning $408,247,917 at the box office.
Prometheus – $403.3 million
Fans were thrilled when, 33 years after the original Alien, director Ridley Scott finally returned to the sci-fi horror franchise he created with 2012 prequel Prometheus. While not everyone was won over by the film’s more introspective and philosophical take on the Alien universe, it still drew a big audience, earning $403,354,469 worldwide and spawning a sequel in 2017’s Alien: Covenant, also directed by Scott.
The Nun – $365.5 million
The arrival of director James Wan’s 2013 supernatural chiller The Conjuring marked the dawn of one of the biggest and most profitable horror franchises ever. The highest earning film from this cinematic universe to date is 2018’s The Nun, director Corin Hardy’s film centred on the Demon Nun introduced in The Conjuring 2. The film made $365,550,119 and spawned 2023 follow-up The Nun II.
Hannibal – $351.7 million
Landing in cinemas a decade after acclaimed smash hit The Silence of the Lambs, 2001’s Hannibal sees the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter on the loose. Though Anthony Hopkins was the only key player to return (Jodie Foster declined, letting Julianne Moore take over as Clarice Starling, while Ridley Scott replaced Jonathan Demme as director), the shocker still took $351,692,268 at the box office.
