What Are The Highest-Grossing Horror Movies of All Time?

1. It (2017)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$704 million
• Director: Andy Muschietti
• Writers: Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman (based on the novel by Stephen King)
• Principal Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Wyatt Oleff

It had a perfect storm of ingredients for success: it hit during he nostalgia boom for the 80s, and it also could market itself on Stephen King's name.

Plus, the IP of the book itself was already popular, so they could tap into many different layers of ways to market the movie and who to market it to, as well.

Bill Skarsgård's portrayal of Pennywise the Dancing Clown was instantly iconic and led a great campaign where he was peeking out of sewers on billboards.

It was a true pop-culture phenomenon that delivered on decades of anticipation.

2. The Sixth Sense (1999)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$673 million
• Director: M. Night Shyamalan
• Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
• Principal Cast: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams

Man, you just kind of had to be there in the late 9ps when this movie opened. It had a popular trailer and stars, but the actual fervor around people being shocked by the twist ending and emotional payoffs sent an entire ripple effect through America. This was the movie that launched M. Night Shyamalan into the cultural lexicon.

Bruce Willis's grounded performance as a child psychologist, paired with Haley Joel Osment's chillingly vulnerable line, "I see dead people," created a catchphrase that was spoken on playgrounds and at work water coolers.

It was somehow a four-quadrant horror film that led to incredible word-of-mouth, keeping theaters packed for months and earning it six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

3. I Am Legend (2007)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$585 million
• Director: Francis Lawrence
• Writers: Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman (based on the novel by Richard Matheson)
• Principal Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok

I think this is maybe a cheating one, since I always think of this movie as a science fiction movie, but it certainly has a horror mashup in it.

This movie hit at the height of Will Smith 's popularity. It found a way to combine its genres of the post-apocalyptic and zombie/vampire into a massive blockbuster package that served all audiences.

It opened huge and stayed huge, thanks to good reviews. It also had a lot of cool, practical effects baked into the CGI, and the haunting visuals of a deserted, overgrown New York City were captivating, and the story of the last man on Earth (and his loyal dog) struck a chord.

4. World War Z (2013)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$540 million
• Director: Marc Forster
• Writers: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof, and J. Michael Straczynski (based on the novel by Max Brooks)
• Principal Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, James Badge Dale

This movie is kind of a miracle. It has a legendarily troubled production that cost the studio tens of millions, but one thing that went in its favor is that it hit right at the height of The Walking Dead's popularity.

People wanted all things zombie, and elevated the concept to a global-disaster scale movie, which also allowed it to reach past its horror audience to gather a wider audience.

Another thing going for it was its unique approach of fast zombies, which piled up like insects to scale walls and set it apart from what else was in the market.

As you see in a lot of these movies, it also had a massive, bankable star in Brad Pitt, so it was able to become a summer blockbuster.

5. Jaws (1975)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$495 million
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Writers: Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb (based on the novel by Peter Benchley)
• Principal Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss

This is the film that invented the summer blockbuster and launched Spielberg into superstardom. Jaws was a masterpiece of suspense, made all the more effective by not showing the shark for most of the movie (a famously brilliant move born of technical difficulties).

It took a reliable fear that a lot of people had, and applied to a sleepy vacation town where the worst was happening. John Williams's iconic two-note score was something people would imitate over and over since its release.

This was a visceral movie that changed all of Hollywood after its release.

6. The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$493 million
• Director: Michael Chaves
• Writers: David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Ian Goldberg, and Richard Naing (story by James Wan & David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick)
• Principal Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Mia Tomlinson, Ben Hardy

One of the most successful horror movies ever made debuted this year. It became sort of an "event" as the grand finale for the main Conjuring series. And that drove audiences globally to the theater to enjoy one last ride with paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Wilson and Farmiga).

The film combined the franchise's trademark suspense with the high emotional stakes of a definitive conclusion, making it the highest-grossing entry in the entire "Conjuring Universe".

7. It Chapter Two (2019)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$473 million
• Director: Andy Muschietti
• Writer: Gary Dauberman (based on the novel by Stephen King)
• Principal Cast: Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa, Jay Ryan, James Ransone, Andy Bean, and Bill Skarsgård

This feels like cheating, but the sequel to the highest-grossing horror of all time made a lot of money!

It Chapter Two benefited from an all-star adult cast taking over the beloved roles of the Losers' Club. So now it was a horror movie sequel with a ton of stars — and then rode that to the box office cash machine.

It was a blockbuster-sized finale that fans of the first film flocked to see and has since launched a TV series and talks of other movies.

8. The Exorcist (1973)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$430 million
• Director: William Friedkin
• Writer: William Peter Blatty (based on his novel)
• Principal Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, and Lee J. Cobb

This film was a cultural phenomenon. It shook the entire 1970s and shocked and terrified audiences at every level. There were sensational reports of viewers fainting and fleeing theaters, which fueled its must-see status.

To this day, when people talk about the best horror movies of all time, you know this title is going to come up.

It became the first horror film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, proving that horror could be both terrifying and prestigious.

9. Signs (2002)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$408 million
• Director: M. Night Shyamalan
• Writer: M. Night Shyamalan
• Principal Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin

This might be my favorite Shyamalan movie. It came after the massive success that was The Sixth Sense and his other massive hit, Unbreakable.

At that moment, all you needed was Shyamalan's name to create a hit. And before all his controversies, Mel Gibson was a massive star who had a huge audience. Putting them together and giving us another genre mash-up with science fiction and maybe the scariest alien reveal of all time, and you've got a big hit on your hands.

Its compelling mystery and themes of faith and chance resonated with audiences.

10. Sinners (2025)

• Worldwide Gross: ~$368 million
• Director: Ryan Coogler
• Writer: Ryan Coogler
• Principal Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, Miles Caton

Sinners became a rare and massive cultural event this year. It felt like everyone was seeing this movie just to join the conversation about it.

It was a big-budget, R-rated, original horror film not based on any existing franchise and by a rising star director who has a lot to say.

The combined star power of writer-director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan (in a dual role) drove initial excitement, but stellar reviews (97% on Rotten Tomatoes) and a rare "A" CinemaScore from audiences gave it incredible legs.

It might be the defining movie of 2025.

Summing It All Up 

Horror is one of those genres you can usually rely on at the box office, but when it breaks out, you can almost guarantee a massive hit. These movies all managed to speak to people who may not usually go and see movies like these, and they raked in the big bucks because of it.

Which of these titles are your favorites?