4 October 2023
With several (supposedly) scary movies atop the box-office charts right now or about to be released, it seems like that time of year, when all the big horror hits come out, right? Looking at the top-grossers of the genre … not so much.
As September turned to October, “Saw X” slashed its way to an $18 million opening (about average for the franchise), and “The Nun II” has already risen into the Top 25 all-time highest horror grossers, with more than $230 million worldwide. This month sees the usual gushing of blood-spilling titles, with at least six releases, including “Exorcist: Believer” and “Five Nights at Freddy’s” — the latter tracking, according to some estimates, for a very nice $33-million to $44-million bow. But while the month is closely associated with horror movies (it contains Halloween, after all), it actually hasn’t seen that many all-time hits come out.
On the Numbers’ list of top-grossing horror films, one must go all the way down to No. 17 to find an October release (“Annabelle,” with about $257 million). Only seven October releases make it into the top 50, including: the 2018 “Halloween” reboot/sequel; “The Ring”; “Paranormal Activity 3”; “The Grudge”; “Paranormal Activity 2”; and “Saw III.” In fact, the franchise most closely associated with the month — “Halloween” — is only the 11th-highest-grossing horror franchise (“The Conjuring” universe being first, by a lot, with more than $2.3 billion).
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The top-grossing October horror releases (Not adjusted for inflation; all data from the Numbers.com)
1. “Annabelle” (2014, $256.9 million worldwide, No. 17-highest grossing horror movie overall)
2. “Halloween” (2018, $255.4 million, No. 18)
3. “The Ring” (2002, $248.2 million, No. 21)
4. “Paranormal Activity 3” (2011, $207 million, No. 32)
5. “The Grudge” (2004, $187.3 million, No. 37)
6. “Paranormal Activity 2” (2010, $177.5 million, No. 42)
7. “Saw III” (2006, $163.9 million, No. 49)
8. “Goosebumps” (2015, $159 million, No. 54)
9. “Devil’s Advocate” (1997, $153 million, No. 58)
10. “Saw II” (2005, $153 million, No. 59)
The top 10 highest-grossing horror movies overall (Not adjusted for inflation; all data from the Numbers.com)
1. “It” (Sept. 8, 2017, $701 million)
2. “I Am Legend” (Dec. 14, 2007, $585.5 million)
3. “Jaws” (June 20, 1975, $482.9 million)
4. “It: Chapter Two” (Sept. 6, 2019, $467.6 million)
5. “The Exorcist” (Dec. 26, 1973, $428.2 million)
6. “The Nun” (Sept. 5, 2018, $363.4 million)
7. “Hannibal” (Feb. 9, 2001, $350.1 million)
8. “A Quiet Place” (April 4, 2018, $334.9 million)
9. “The Conjuring” (July 18, 2013, $316.8 million)
10. “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” (Dec. 23, 2016, $314.1 million)
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