The spooky season is among us, and scary movies are the top picks on all streaming services. These are the top-grossing horror franchises of all time. I added number 21 to the data because there was no way I could leave it off a horror franchise list! Enjoy.
1. The Conjuring Universe
It is an American horror-film franchise with a total worldwide box office of $2,366,707,185. It includes a total of nine films. The most-grossing movie from this franchise is The Nun II. This film has a grossing number of $365,551,694.
The films depict the dramatic adventures of two paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. They deal with controversial haunting cases which involve evil spirits. The main focus is helping the people harassed by the spirits.
2. Alien
With a total worldwide box office of $1,653,812,293, this franchise presents science, fiction, and action in its horror films. It includes a total of eight films. The highest-grossing movie from Alien is Prometheus, having a net earning of $403,354,469.
The franchise focuses on the deadly encounters between humans and Aliens. It also fictionalizes the human origin of an ancient humanoid species. During an experiment to exterminate the humans, a deadly mutagen led to the creation of Aliens.
3. Resident Evil
Resident Evil is a Japanese horror game media franchise with a total worldwide box office of $123,768,698. This franchise includes a total of ten films. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is the most-grossing movie from Resident Evil. The net gross of this movie is $312,257,250.
Films revolve around the fictional city named Racoon City. Zombies attacked the Special Tactics and Rescue Service team, who came to the mansion near Racoon City. Only a few survivors are kept alive after the attack and explore the zombie-infested mansion.
4. It
It is a terrifying story by the master of horror — Stephen King. The total worldwide box office of this series is $1,173,474,976. It includes only two films. It (Chapter 1) is the most-grossing movie, with total gross sum of $701,842,551.
The films are about the seven children terrorized by an evil entity called It. The evil entity disguises itself while chasing and killing the victims. ‘It‘ comes as a dancing clown to attract the teenager’s prey.
5. Saw
Saw is a horror multimedia franchise and pop culture phenomenon based in America. The total worldwide box office of the Saw franchise is $1,054,996,481. Ten movies belong to this franchise. Its most-grossing film is Saw III. The net earning of this movie is $164,874,275.
The franchise revolves around the fictional serial killer named ‘Jigsaw.’ He does not directly kill the victims but rather entrap them in life-threatening situations. Jigsaw tests the victims’ abilities by giving them physical and mental torture.
6. Hannibal
An American media franchise, Hannibal has a worldwide box office of $184,884,460. Hannibal presents a total of five films (Hannibal (2001), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Red Dragon (2002), Hannibal Rising (2007), and Manhunter (1986). Hannibal is the most-grossing film in this franchise, with a net grossing number of $351,692,268.
The films surround a cannibalistic serial killer named ‘Hannibal Lecter.’ It dramatically depicts the relationship between FBI specialist Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter, who worked as a forensic psychiatrist. Hannibal aims to become the most clever enemy and friend of Will Graham at the same time.
7. Dracula
Dracula is an American horror film franchise with a worldwide box office of $60,904,205. This “Dracula” film statistic includes fifteen films (Van Helsing, Dracula Untold, Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), Dracula 2000, Love at First Bite, Dracula (1979), The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Shadow of the Vampire, Dead and Loving It, The Monster Squad, Dracula (1958), Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Prince of Darkness, The Brides of Dracula, Nadja, and The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973).
Its most-grossing movie is Van Helsing, with a net earning of $300,157,638. Based on solicitor Jonathan Harker, who stays at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. He escapes after knowing Dracula is a vampire. Dracula moves to England, and a small group led by Abraham Van Helsing kills him.
8. Scream
This American horror film franchise revolves around a murder mystery. It has a worldwide box office of $152,230,953. This franchise includes a total of six films. The most-grossing film, Scream (1996), has a total gross of $173,046,663.
The films revolve around Sidney Prescott. She struggles against murderers who appear as Ghostface to hunt the victims. The revenge, jealousy, and will to get notoriety motivate the murderers to kill.
9. Scary Movie
Scary Movie is an American horror and comedy-based film series. The total worldwide box office of this series is $896,555,030. A total of five films are included in it. The most-grossing film from this series is Scary Movie, with a gross number of $278,019,771.
These series focus on spoofing horror films. The first Scary Movie is based on imitating Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. The second film starts with a parody of The Exorcist. Similarly, the other three films are also the parody of famous horror movies.
10. Paranormal Activity
Paranormal Activity is an American supernatural horror franchise with a total worldwide box office of $148,422,274. It includes six films. The most-grossing movie from this franchise is Paranormal Activity 3, with gross sum of $207,039,844.
The films from Paranormal Activity are about the attacks of the demon Asmodeus “Tobi” on various families. The families and bystanders are terrified and murdered by the demons. This franchise has different reviews for each film but proved financially successful project.
11. Halloween
It is a slasher media franchise based in America, with a total worldwide box office of $885,594,556. A total of thirteen films are included in this franchise. Halloween (2018) is the most-grossing film from this franchise. This film has a net gross number of $259,939,835.
The film focuses on a character named Michael Myers. As a child, he was committed to a sanitarium for his sister’s murder. He escapes and starts killing the people in the fictional town of Haddonfield on the holiday of Halloween after fifteen years.
12. Predator
An American anthology media franchise known as Predator is based on scientific, fictional, horror, and action films. It has a total worldwide box office of $744,593,166. This franchise includes a total of six films. The most-grossing film from Predator is Alien vs. Predator with a net gross of $172,544,654.
The Predator franchise depicts deadly encounters of humankind against an intelligent extraterrestrial species known as ‘Yautja.’ Yautja aims to hunt humans, due to which multiple encounters occur at different locations.
13. Insidious
Insidious is an American horror franchise with a total worldwide box office of $731,500,306. A total of five films are included in it. The most-grossing film from this franchise is Insidious: The Red Door. This movie has a net earning of $188,498,619.
Its first two films are about a couple who hired paranormal investigators to find their mysteriously lost son. The third film revolves around a young girl who is in some connection with the dead. The fourth and fifth films independently unfold two different mysterious families.
14. Final Destination
With a total worldwide box office of $665,080,639, Final Destination is an American horror film franchise. It includes a total of five films. Its most-grossing film is The Final Destination, which has a net gross of $186,167,139.
All five films from this franchise belong to a group of people running from death. The protagonist already warns these people against the major disaster and their deaths. But due to their ignorance of the warning, an unseen force kills all survivors.
15. The Ring
The Ring is a Japanese media franchise based on a novel written by Kji Suzuki. It has a total worldwide franchise of $654,610,579. It includes a total of three American movies (The Ring, The Ring Two, and Rings). The Ring is the most-grossing movie of this franchise. This film has a net earning of $249,348,933.
Its movies revolve around a psychic who created a deadly videotape. Anyone who watched that video dies a week later. The only way to survive after watching the deadly video is to copy the tape and show it to another person, who must repeat the same process.
16. A Quiet Place
This American horror film series has a total worldwide box office of $638,325,232. Only two films are included in it. The most-grossing film from this series is A Quiet Place. This movie has a net gross of $340,952,971.
These films present the attacks of extraterrestrial species or monsters on the world. These monsters are blind. With just an acute sense of hearing, monsters are collapsing the world and inhabiting the apocalyptic world.
17. I Am Legend
I Am Legend is a post-apocalyptic American novel converted into a successful film series. The total worldwide box office of this series is $589,349,010. It includes only two movies (I Am Legend and The Omega Man (1971). I Am Legend is the most-grossing film of this series, with a net earning of $585,349,010.
The films are about the human population, which is converted into vampires after being infected by a pandemic. The vampires are blood-sucking creatures who are weirdly different from humans. There is only a survivor of this infection named Neville, who manages to survive among the vampires.
18. The Exorcist
The Exorcist is an American media franchise with a total worldwide box office of $589,331,619. A total of five movies are included in it. The Exorcist is the most-grossing film of this franchise, with a grossing number of $441,306,145
The films are centered on the fictional accounts of different people possessed by a fictional character, Pazuzu. He is the main antagonist of The Exorcist series. The series also focuses on the struggles made by religious authorities to combat Pazuzu’s possession.
19. A Nightmare on Elm Street
An American slasher media franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street, has a worldwide box office of $545,221,132. A total of nine films are included in this franchise. Its most-grossing film is Freddy vs. Jason, which has a net earning of $116,632,628.
This franchise has a main fictional character, “Freddy.” He is the apparition of a child killer who the parents of that child burned. Now, the killer has returned from his grave to kill the teenage residents of Springwood.
20. The Purge
The Purge is an American anthology media franchise with a total worldwide box office of $533,051,095. This franchise includes five films. The First Purge is the most-grossing film of it, with a net gross of $136,211,978.
This franchise shows a crime-free and peaceful America in the future. But, an annual event called “the purge” is observed by the country. During the annual event, all crimes, including murder, are decriminalized for 12 hours.
21. Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th didn’t make the top 20, but I knew horror fans wouldn’t tolerate a list without Jason. So I’ve added it for you. Friday the 13th is a legendary horror franchise with a total worldwide box office of $468 million. The franchise includes 13 films. Freddy Vs. Jason is the highest-grossing, with a net gross of $82,622,655.
The film series follows a masked killer named Jason, who drowned in a lake as a boy at camp when the counselors weren’t watching. While the first film’s killer was his mother, the rest are all his.
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Featured Image Credit: Van Helsing – Universal Pictures. Alien – 20th Century-Fox. Resident Evil – New Legacy Film. Scream – Dimension Films.