Highest-grossing horror film at the global box office

The highest-grossing horror movie at the global box office is It (USA, 2017), which had taken $701,012,746 (£563,575,692) worldwide by 30 January 2025, according to The Numbers. The film was adapted from Stephen King’s 1986 novel about a shape-shifting alien entity that most commonly takes the form of a clown called Pennywise. The story centres on a group of misfit schoolkids from the fictional town of Derry in Maine, who while investigating the disappearance of one of their younger brothers, are forced to confront their worst fears.

Pennywise’s return in a 2019 sequel (It: Chapter Two) took $467,561,586 (£375,893,799), making it the third top-performing horror film of all time, just below Jaws (USA, 1975), which has snapped up $484,351,938 (£389,392,319) to date.

Jaws is widely considered the first "blockbuster" at cinemas, being the first movie to surpass the $100-m milestone in theatrical takings, as well as bucking the trend of making a large-scale release during the summer, whereas up until then winter had generally been considered the most lucrative season for drawing cinema audiences.