Following a 2023 that saw several breakout horror hits arrive in the domestic market—led by day-and-date release Five Nights at Freddy’s, which opened to $80M in late October before legging out to $137.2M domestically—2024 has been hit-or-miss when it comes to the genre, with major studio releases dominating the top ten in lieu of a true indie breakout. The two exceptions are Longlegs, which became distributor Neon’s highest-grossing film after only 14 days, and Cineverse Terrifier 3, an unrated gore-fest that smashed expectations with a $18.3M opening, beating out the second week of Joker: Folie à Deux.
1. A Quiet Place: Day One
Paramount Pictures | June 28
Domestic Opening: $52.2M
Domestic Total: $138.9M
The third film in Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place franchise, and the first one not directed by John Krasinski, debuted to a franchise-high $52.5M in late June, surpassing The Strangers: Chapter 1 as the highest-grossing horror film of 2024 after only two days in theaters. Moving into its second weekend, it stands as the 18th highest-grossing film of 2024 domestically and 15th highest-grossing film globally. Though it didn’t reach number one at the box office (due to a little film called Inside Out 2), it still stands to out-earn the first two films in the growing franchise.
2. Alien: Romulus
Walt Disney / 20th Century Studios | August 16
Domestic Opening: $42M
Domestic Total: $105.3M (as of 10/22)
*Still in theaters
The second highest-grossing horror film of 2024 so far was one that was initially slated to bypass theaters and go straight to Hulu: Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus, in which the director of Don’t Breathe and the Evil Dead remake brings the Alien franchise back to its horror roots. The film opened slightly under expectations with $42.5M over the three-day weekend, enough to knock Deadpool & Wolverine out of the number one spot in its fourth frame.
3. Longlegs
NEON | July 12
Domestic Opening: $22.4M
Domestic Total: $74M
Specialty distributor NEON went big with Oz Perkins’ Longlegs, opening the horror title on 2,510 screens, the widest release for a NEON title. The bet paid off in a big way, with the film breezing past even the highest end of our box office predictions to earn $22.4M on opening weekend, trailing only fellow new release Despicable Me 4 and giving NEON its biggest opening weekend to-date. After a mere 14 days it became the distributor’s highest grosser, surpassing 2019’s Parasite, the gradual roll-out of which had the film reaching $53.3M more than five months into its domestic run. Longlegs’ $74M domestic cume could sneak even higher before the end of the month, with Neon putting the film back in theaters paired with a sneak peek of Perkins’ The Monkey, debuting in February 2025.
4. Speak No Evil
Universal | September 13
Domestic Opening: $11.3M
Domestic Total: $36.3M (as of 10/22)
*Still in theaters
A remake of a 2022 Danish film of the same name, director James Watkins’ Speak No Evil debuted in the middle of a quiet September, opening at the number two spot behind the second week of Warner Bros.’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Holds in subsequent weeks remained modest, not slipping below -50% week-on-week as of mid-October.
5. Terrifier 3
Cineverse | October 11
Domestic Opening: $18.9M
Domestic Total: $36.2M, as of 10/22
It’s the feel-good story of spooky season 2024: a scrappy horror sequel from an independent distributor builds on the cult appeal of its predecessors to debut at the top of the box office. That the movie is the latest in the Terrifier series, known for over-the-top gore that (allegedly) has caused people to vomit and pass out in screenings, is just icing on the cake. Terrifier 3 benefited from the underperformance of another killer clown movie, Joker: Folie à Deux, which had come out a week prior. In its second frame, the Joker sequel dropped -81%, allowing Terrifier 3—bolstered by a strong grassroots marketing campaign and promotional tie-ins aimed at the hardcore horror set—to slip right past it at the box office despite screening on approximately 1,500 fewer screens.
6. The Strangers: Chapter 1
Lionsgate Films | May 17
Domestic Opening: $11.8M
Domestic Total: $35.2M
With a domestic gross topping out in the mid-$30Ms, Lionsgate’s The Strangers: Chapter 1—like A Quiet Place: Day One, the third film and first prequel in an established horror franchise—wouldn’t even have been in the top ten highest-grossing horror films had it come out in 2023, an illustration of how far the genre has fallen at the box office this year. Opening in mid-May, the film debuted at the number three spot at the box office and enjoyed a moderate -53% drop before week two—moderate, at least, for the horror genre, which tends to drop off rather quickly after opening weekend. Chapter 1 stands solidly in the middle of the franchise in terms of box office, out-earning 2019’s The Strangers: Prey at Night ($24.4M domestic total) but having virtually no chance at catching up with the $52.5M earned by The Strangers when it came out in 2008.
7. Night Swim
Universal Pictures | January 5
Domestic Opening: $11.7M
Domestic Total: $32.4M
January 2023 was a surprisingly strong month for horror at the box office, with Universal’s M3GAN opening to $30.4M and IFC Films’ Skinamarink breaking out on the indie scene, riding a wave of good buzz (mostly generated on TikTok) to a $2M domestic gross—earned in spite of the fact that it went day-and-date in theaters and on Shudder. Any hopes of a similar performance from the genre this year were dashed when Universal’s Night Swim debuted to a mere $11.7M on over 3,000 screens. It would set the tone for the next few months, with wide releases Imaginary, The First Omen, and Tarot similarly failing to catch on with audiences.
8. Imaginary
Lionsgate | March 18
Domestic Opening: $9.9M
Domestic Total: $28M
9. Abigail
Universal | April 19
Domestic Opening: $10.2M
Domestic Total: $25.8M
10. The First Omen
Disney | April 6
Domestic Opening: $8.3M
Domestic Total: $20M
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