12 Highest-Grossing Horror Movies Of All Time

“Do you like scary movies?” The question that haunts so many “Scream” characters is answered happily by countless people across the globe. Horror cinema is a beloved genre, and it has only gotten more popular in recent years. Scary moviemaking delivers unique thrills you can’t get anywhere else, while ensuring moviegoers can grapple with the most chilling parts of reality in a controlled setting. As long as people have anxieties and woes that keep them up at night, horror will always us tell relevant stories.

There is no question that horror is extremely popular at movie theaters, but what horror titles have landed the heaviest at the worldwide box office? The 12 highest-grossing horror films in the global theatrical cinema scene (ranked below from “lowest” grossing to highest) are a wildly varying crop reflecting how the horrors that bind us can look like anything and everything. 

These films also demonstrate how far certain horror experiences can reach, touching lives across the world with experiences that are just common enough to resonate. It’s a gift that can make amazing horror out of shoestring budgets, with the potential for the highest rewards. Read on to learn more about the 12 highest-grossing movies ever at the worldwide box office.

Hollywood and its heavy insistence on pre-packaged franchises makes original box office surprises rarer than ever, but there are still modern instances of movies defying conventions. Take Ryan Coogler’s perfect “Sinners.” A horror film that also functions as a gangster film and musical has a lot of ways to limit its own appeal. It carries an R-rating. It features a potentially dry historical setting. Warner Bros. barely did any promotion. There was no reason to expect “Sinners” would become a box office phenomenon.

That is exactly what happened with this movie, though. After opening to a remarkable $48 million, “Sinners” dipped only 5% in its second weekend of domestic screening, an feat reflecting the ever-escalating word of mouth working in its favor. The film eventually amassed a staggering $278.54 million domestically. That put it ahead of all three of the year’s Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in the North American box office, and making it one of the biggest original U.S. titles since Christopher Nolan’s “Inception.”

Throw in another $88 million overseas, and “Sinners” ended its theatrical worldwide run with $366.63 million, more than four times its $90 million budget. Who knew an R-rated vampire horror film full blues music (and buckets of blood so gross it made star Hailee Steinfeld miserable) could soar so high? “Sinners” became the most delightful kind of box office surprise: all-original, and a joy to watch even as the horror mounts.

Director Ridley Scott came home to the franchise that made him with “Prometheus.” 33 years after helming 1979’s “Alien” and forever changing the horror genre, Scott aimed to deliver a prequel meant to fill in some of the blanks in the “Alien” mythology. Largely marketed as a standalone film with potential “Alien” connections, “Prometheus” instead firmly carried over its predecessor’s scary atmosphere (by ending with a proto-xenomorph that erased any question of its franchise relation)  while ramping up the graphic horror. It was all was tailor-made to get “Alien” die-hards excited, but the jury was out on whether or not bringing back Scott would also make “Prometheus” a summer 2012 box office smash.

Eventually, the movie did perfectly fine worldwide, though it wasn’t quite a breakout hit. Budgeted at $125 million, “Prometheus” grossed $126.47 million domestically and $275.97 million internationally, adding up to a $402.44 million worldwide gross. For an R-rated horror film released in a pre-“Deadpool” world, when titles carrying that rating had a hard upper limit to financial success, that wasn’t shabby. “Prometheus” also remains the highest-grossing “Alien” installment in North America in raw, uninflated dollars.

Taking the “Alien” saga back to its horror movie roots was a welcome streamlined change of pace after “Alien: Resurrection” perhaps overly complicated the franchise lore. With a box office performance this sturdy, we chalk up another win for Ridley Scott in his own personal world of xenomorphs.

“Signs” was a kind of last hurrah for M. Night Shyamalan. He would have other hits after his 2002 Mel Gibson star vehicle, but “Signs” was the end of his hot streak of beloved box office juggernauts. Subsequently, more divisive and financially complicated releases like “Lady in the Water” and “After Earth” would clash against his later small-scale hits like “Split” and “The Visit.” Before all of that, though, “Signs” flourished as a sci-fi horror film still riding the positive wave of Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense.”

In its domestic release, “Signs” grossed a massive $228 million, not far off from what “The Sixth Sense” amassed in the same territory three years earlier. Internationally, the feature beamed up $180.28 million for a $408.25 million worldwide haul. On a $70.7 million budget, “Signs” was immensely profitable just from its North American gross alone. Among all movies in 2002, “Signs” was the sixth-biggest feature of the year domestically, outpacing projects like “Men in Black II,” “Scooby-Doo,” and “Die Another Day.” That was a triumph for an original horror film that relied heavily on long, quiet stretches and domestic turmoil to make its jump scares and ominous tone leave an impact.

None of Shyamalan’s post-“Signs” releases would even come close to that $200 million domestic mark. Still, it is hard to argue with or complain about Shyamalan’s career results up to this point.

1973’s “The Exorcist” arrived a few years into the collapse of the Hays Code, which re-opened the doors for what kind of adult material American cinema could explore. Horror films had existed since the very dawn of cinema, however, they could now take on new levels of extreme frights and sights. As one of the first films to exploit their new freedoms, “The Exorcist” featured foul language, disturbing imagery, and gnarly chaos that would have been unthinkable just a decade earlier.

The film’s unique intensity and impressive craftsmanship quickly cemented it as a pop culture phenomenon. “The Exorcist” sold out screenings and took up residence people’s nightmares. Its sway on audiences hasn’t lessened since. Over the course of multiple theatrical releases, “The Exorcist” has grossed $231 million in North America alone, making it the 14th biggest R-rated movie of any genre. Throw in another $197.86 million overseas and this production amassed $428.88 million worldwide. The movie was unspeakably profitable, blowing open the doors for how big horror films could become at the global box office. No wonder many still consider “The Exorcist” the best horror movie of all time.

The rest of the ’70s would be marked by further post-Hays Code horror films like “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and “Halloween”. They, and countless, other films owe their box office success to the gigantic numbers “The Exorcist” pulled.

Director Tim Burton and original “Beetlejuice” stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder returned to the land of the undead after 36 years with “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” It languished in pre-production for years, including as an era of vaporous rumor around the unrealized and improbable-sounding “Beetlejuice Goes to Hawaii.” The movie’s final form was in the typical legacy sequel mold, with a younger lead actor (Jenna Ortega) discovering a world familiar to moviegoers and dealing with the consequences of the previous generation’s actions. In other words, it was a ripe opportunity for audiences to return to the world of the deceased and Burton’s macabre sense of humor. 

Several of Burton’s 2010s directorial efforts became box office flops. “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” meanwhile, saw him rocking the box office like it was 1988. After scoring a tremendous $111 million debut over its first weekend, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” scared up $294.1 million domestically. That’s nearly three times its $100 million budget. Worldwide, it secured $451.98 million. 

Like many lucrative legacy sequels, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” played upon people’s nostalgia to big results. It didn’t hurt that this installment reached theaters during autumn, which allowed it to tie into the Halloween season. All that waiting paid off for Burton and company, since “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” absolutely soared at the box office.

After 2017’s “It” became phenomenon, “It: Chapter Two” released in September 2019, ready to take audiences on another terrifying ride. This time, the members of the Losers Club had grown up into adults and Bill (James McAvoy), Beverly (Jessica Chastain) and Eddie (Bill Hader) all returned to their hometown to end Pennywise once and for all. An adaptation of the second half of Stephen King’s “It,” “It: Chapter Two” was never going to replicate the success of its predecessor. That was a lightning-in-a-bottle horror movie box office performance.

Even so, “It: Chapter Two” grossed a hefty $211.59 million domestically, already three times its $70 million budget. Worldwide, “It: Chapter Two” grossed $473.09 million, making it the rare horror film to exceed the $450+ million mark. It was also the second-biggest R-rated movie of 2019 domestically, only behind its fellow autumn Warner Bros. release “Joker.” It was also a successful enterprise for its cast, with “Chapter Two” remaining Chastain’s second-biggest live-action movie ever in North America. 

The film far exceeded the norms for how big R-rated horror features go at the box office. The enduring appeal of the source material for “It: Chapter Two,” boosted by the residual goodwill and critical success it earned from its predecessor, floated this sequel to great box office figures.

Since July 2013, the “Conjuring” movies have been reliable global moneymakers. Even 2020’s “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” which received a simultaneous HBO Max release in America, still took home a stupendous $206.43 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. Nothing could stop this franchise from chilling audiences. However, 2025’s “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” promoted as the “final chapter” in this whole saga, still blew everyone away at the box office. The film’s domestic opening weekend alone (a whopping $84 million) was more than double the North American debuts of all past “Conjuring” installments, excluding “The Nun.” 

After that, “Last Rites” took home $176.88 million domestically, by far the biggest total ever for a “Conjuring” movie in this territory. Worldwide, this motion picture grossed $487.18 million, the first time ever in the history of the “Conjuring” franchise that an installment exceeded $400+ million globally. That also meant “Last Rites” surpassed significantly costlier 2025 movies like “Captain America: Brave New World”, “Snow White,” and “Thunderbolts*.”

The promise of a resolution to the “Conjuring” franchise, along with years of audience investment in these fictional versions of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paid off big. Even though it was following the sterling box office track record of its predecessors, “The Conjuring: Last Rites” and its imposing theatrical run obliterated all financial expectations.

There is before “Jaws” and after “Jaws,” in terms of how movies were released and marketed in North America. “Jaws” was unleashed on the public with a then-unique release and marketing strategy, ensuring the film was playing in hundreds of theaters on opening day. A standard practice today was a risky gamble in 1975. It paid off, and “Jaws” spawned a wave of big-budget tentpoles all hoping to win a fraction of its box office success. All these years later, there’s still only one “Jaws.” No subpar sequels or SyFy channel knockoffs can dilute director Steven Spielberg’s success.

At the time of release, “Jaws” not only broke records as the first movie to exceed $100+ million domestically, it also became the biggest motion picture in history. Its initial run collected a reported $260.69 million domestic total, with subsequent theatrical reissues bringing its domestic lifetime gross to $280 million. It’s not just Americans who love chomping down on the thrills of “Jaws.” Worldwide, this movie soaked up $490.73 million.

In raw dollars (and without adjusting for inflation), other horror and non-horror movies have outgrossed “Jaws.” However, this flick paved the road for subsequent moneymakers to even exist. Turns out that shark was good for more than just eating some tourists.

“World War Z” had one major advantage at the box office over many of the other films on this list: While clearly a horror film (it was a story about a zombie apocalypse, after all), “World War Z” was marketed as a big, action-oriented summer blockbuster. There’s often a ceiling for how high an R-rated traditional horror movie can go at the global box office. PG-13 action titles with lots of spectacle, meanwhile, can soar above $1+ billion. “World War Z” didn’t get anywhere near that high in its theatrical run, but it still managed a great worldwide box office haul. The presence of the undead didn’t keep people away.

Domestically, “World War Z” grossed $202.7 million. Worldwide, it really took off with a $531.86 million total. Opening against major blockbusters like “Man of Steel” and “Despicable Me 2,” “World War Z” didn’t do too shabby as a non-sequel. Though its reported budget was a mighty $190 million, its global take meant it technically broke even. 

It was a way bigger than usual release for a zombie movie at the box office, that’s for certain. Presently “World War Z” is the only live-action zombie film to clear $100+ million domestically. Brad Pitt’s presence, and tons of mainstream-friendly action, propelled “World War Z” to far loftier box office heights than Romero’s 2005 zombie movie, “Land of the Dead.”

How do you ensure that a grim post-apocalypse horror movie like “I Am Legend” manages a $500+ million worldwide box office haul? You hire Will Smith in his peak 2000s-era fame. At this point in his career, Smith was an unstoppable movie star responsible for hits like the “Men in Black” movies. People were showing up in droves to anything he headlined. With another actor, the chilling vision of one guy trying to survive a vampire world might have been greeted with a cold shoulder by the general public. Certainly, fans of Richard Matheson’s novel noted all of the biggest differences from the book, but that didn’t stop this adaptation’s popularity.

With Smith in the lead, “I Am Legend” scored the biggest December domestic opening weekend ever (at the time of its release) before amassing a massive $256.39 million in North America alone. Worldwide, this production grossed a gargantuan $585.53 million, a haul that would’ve been unthinkable for any standard horror film. Circa. 2007, though, any production headlined by Will Smith was not just a routine feature. Still Smith’s fourth-biggest pre-2012 movie ever globally, “I Am Legend” solidified that this leading man could flourish financially in any genre.

In the James B. Stewart book “DisneyWar,” one anecdote involves former executive David Vogel being told that higher-ups had sold off the international distribution rights to his passion project, “The Sixth Sense,” to Spyglass Entertainment. The tale suggests that this was about Vogel’s bosses lacking similar passion about what would be M. Night Shyamalan’s debut film. Nor could they have been enthused by Vogel buying the rights to the costly script ($3 million dollars) without any oversight. Vogel’s hunch turned out to be well-placed. “The Sixth Sense” was a moneymaker that launched M. Night Shyamalan into stardom — and lost Vogel his job.

Debuting at the end of summer 1999, “The Sixth Sense” opened to $28.68 million domestically and continued to stay profitable in the weeks that followed, thanks to some extraordinary word-of-mouth. This leggy $40 million budgeted horror film grossed a gargantuan $672.8 million worldwide haul. The biggest non-“Star Wars” movie of 1999 domestically, this production even surpassed fellow Disney blockbusters like “Toy Story 2” and “Tarzan” at the yearly box office. Not too shabby for something so many Disney executives apparently showed minimal confidence in.

Given the popularity of Stephen King’s “It,” it was inevitable that a theatrical film adaptation would pull interested moviegoers. A TV miniseries had done well decades earlier, proving the audience was there. However, 2017’s “It” went above and beyond even the rosiest pre-release box office expectations with a massive box office run. “It” didn’t play like other Stephen King film adaptations, such as “Carrie” or “1408,” at the box office. It instead generated numbers on par with a 2010s Marvel superhero movie. Its immense financial stature was apparent right from its opening weekend, which remains the largest domestic September bow in history.

From there, “It” grossed $328.82 million domestically and another $375.3 million, unheard of for an R-rated horror movie that had no big stars and centering on a clown murdering adolescents. Excluding the three “Deadpool” movies, “It” remains the fourth-biggest R-rated movie at the worldwide box office. On a $35 million budget, “It” was unspeakably profitable and reflected the enduring appeal of both King’s vision of horror and a solid marketing ground game. Like “The Exorcist” and “Jaws” back in the 70s, “It” broke new ground for how gigantic horror movies could become.