‘It’ to Pass ‘The Exorcist’ as Highest Grossing Horror Film Ever

Warner Bros.’ runaway horror hit “It” will pass “The Exorcist” this week to become the highest domestic grossing horror film of all-time.

Upon its initial release in 1973, “The Exorcist” grossed $193 million domestically, followed by an additional $39.9 million from two director’s cut releases in 2000 and 2010, for a total of $232.9 million. “It” currently has $228.4 million after adding $4.2 million on Monday and $5.3 million on Tuesday. The movie should easily pass “The Exorcist” record this week — as early as Wednesday night.

“It” is the highest grossing R-Rated film of 2017 so far. While expected to cede this weekend’s No. 1 spot to “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” “It” is still expected to make roughly $30 million, putting it at around $265-270 million by this Sunday.

Also Read: Could 'Kingsman' or 'Lego Ninjago' Dethrone 'It' as Box Office Champ?

Of course, while “The Exorcist” is the most successful pure horror film, there are hybrid horror flicks that have made more. Foremost among them is the horror-thriller hybrid “The Sixth Sense, which made $293 million in 2001. “It” is expected by analysts to pass that mark and become only the fourth R-Rated film to gross more than $300 million domestically, joining “The Passion of the Christ,” “Deadpool,” and “American Sniper.”

Other films “It” is expected to pass include “Gravity,” the highest grossing October release with $274 million. That would make “It” the highest grossing film released between Labor Day and the start of November.

Also Read: 'It' Has Broken a Box Office Record Every Day for Past Week

Elsewhere on the Warner Bros. slate, “Annabelle: Creation” passed the $100 million mark on Tuesday in its sixth week in theaters. The latest installment in the “Conjuring” series has grossed $290 million worldwide and pushed the franchise past the $1 billion mark earlier in its run.

When WB’s two horror hits are combined with the domestic totals from its summer juggernaut “Wonder Woman” and Oscar contender “Dunkirk,” you have a total of $915 million grossed by the studio since the start of June, putting the film in position to be the first to gross $1.5 billion at the domestic box office this year.