10 Of The Highest Grossing Horror Films Of The 2000s, Ranked According To Box Office Mojo
The 2000s were a good time for horror. It spawned a significant amount of franchises, most notably Saw and Paranormal Activity. But the decade wasn't just concerned with franchise movies.
A great tool to gauge what was popular at a specific time in history is Box Office Mojo. Seeing what was popular is a great way to study a specific period of time. Certain styles and stories can speak to a specific generation, and it's endlessly entertaining to see what was big at a specific point in history.
These are ten of the highest-grossing horror films of the 2000s, according to Box Office Mojo.
10 Scream 3 (2000) - $161 Million
Scream 3 largely coasted off the success of the first two films. The movie received middling reviews when compared to its predecessor, but despite that, it performed exceptionally well at the box office. It opened to $34.7 million the weekend of February 4-6, 2000, beating out The Hurricane in its sixth weekend. It eventually plowed its way to $161.8 million worldwide, making it the third-highest grossing movie in the series.
9 Saw III (2006) - $164 Million
The Saw series peaked with Saw III. At least in terms of box office gross. Saw III opened to a solid $33.6 million the weekend of October 27-29, 2006, beating out The Departed in its fourth weekend for the top spot. It spent four consecutive weeks in the top ten, culminating in an $80 million domestic gross. It fared about the same in international markets, resulting in a worldwide box office taking of $164.8 million.
8 The Grudge (2004) - $187 Million
Serving as an American remake of a J-horror classic, The Grudge opened to a very strong $39 million the weekend of October 22-24, 2004. The movie beat Shark Tale in its fourth weekend and Shall We Dance in its second to claim the top spot. The movie reclaimed the top spot in its second weekend with a gross of $21.8 million, eventually accumulating $110 million domestically and $187.2 million worldwide.
7 Paranormal Activity (2007) - $193 Million
Paranormal Activity is one of those sleeper hits that come out of nowhere. It debuted with $77,000 the weekend of September 25-27, 2007, but word of mouth resulted in very strong showings.
It grossed $9.2 million in just 160 theaters the weekend of October 9-12 and $19.6 million in 760 the following weekend. It eventually release wide the weekend of October 23-25, having been released in 1,945 theaters. It eventually climbed its way to a $193 million worldwide gross.
6 The Ring (2002) - $249 Million
The Ring is one of the seminal horror films of the 2000s, itself another American remake of a J-horror classic. The movie opened to $15 million the weekend of October 18-20, 2002, beating out Sweet Home Alabama and Red Dragon for the top spot. It spent five consecutive weeks in the top five and ten in the top ten, culminating in a $129 million domestic take. It did equally well internationally, resulting in $249.3 million worldwide.
5 The Village (2004) - $256 Million
M. Night Shyamalan was at the top of his game in the early 2000s, generating hit after hit after hit. The Village is certainly not one of his critical darlings, but it performed very well at the box office. The movie opened to a fantastic $50 million the weekend of July 30-August 1, beating The Bourne Supremacy in its second weekend. Even though it spent just four weeks in the top ten, The Village ended up taking home $256.6 million worldwide.
4 What Lies Beneath (2000) - $291 Million
Robert Zemeckis's What Lies Beneath is not well remembered, but it was huge throughout the summer of 2000.
With an inflated budget of $100 million, What Lies Beneath opened to a disappointing $29.7 million the weekend of July 21-23, 2000. However, the movie had very strong legs, spending fifteen non-consecutive weeks in the top ten. It ended up grossing $155 million domestically and $291.4 million worldwide.
3 Hannibal (2001) - $351 Million
Hannibal is another movie that coast on the success of its predecessor. Despite earning bad reviews, Hannibal got by on the strength of its source material and The Silence of the Lambs, scoring $58 million in its opening weekend. The movie spent three consecutive weeks at number one, beating debuts like Saving Silverman, Recess: School's Out, and 3000 Miles to Graceland. Hannibal ended its run with a very impressive $351.6 million worldwide.
2 Signs (2002) - $408 Million
Signs was M. Night Shyamalan's first horror movie since The Sixth Sense, so expectations were unbelievably high. It's safe to say that the movie met them. It opened to $60 million the weekend of August 2-4, beating Austin Powers in Goldmember and the debut of The Master of Disguise. It spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one and nine in the top ten, culminating in a very strong $227 million domestic and $408.2 million worldwide. It was no The Sixth Sense, but it was still a very strong outing nonetheless.
1 The Mummy Returns (2001) - $443 Million
The Mummy Returns toes the line between action, adventure, and horror, creating a richly imaginative experience. It was also a huge hit for Universal. The movie opened to a very strong $68.1 million the weekend of May 4-6, 2001, beating out Driven and Bridget Jones's Diary for the number one spot. It reclaimed the top spot the following week, beating out newcomer A Knight's Tale and doubling its gross. The Mummy Returns spent seven consecutive weeks in the top ten, finally being kicked out the weekend of June 22-24. It ended up grossing $202 million domestic and $443.2 million worldwide.