Worldwide gross figures have been rounded up or down to the nearest million.
By and large, 2024 has proved to be a great year for horror films. The storied genre has produced several critically acclaimed outings, many of which have been lauded as some of the finest horror movies of the 2020s. From exciting new arrivals staking a claim as the genre’s new kid on the block to electrifying sequels from prominent horror staples, the year’s best horror movies have received rave reviews from fans and critics alike for their innate capacity to shock, disgust, and terrify in blockbuster fashion.
However, while it definitely doesn’t hurt, all the critical acclaim in the world is no guarantee of commercial success in Hollywood. While many of the best horror movies of 2024 produced impressive commercial returns to match their glowing reviews, several prominent genre outings proved that good feedback decidedly wasn’t a necessity for financial success. Despite being brutally panned by the vast majority of critics, some of the highest-grossing horror movies of 2024 still managed to turn in respectable box office figures.
10
The First Omen
Worldwide Gross: $53 million
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9/10
The First Omen
Horror
The First Omen is a horror film from director Arkasha Stevenson that acts as a prequel to the 1976 film The Omen. The film follows a young woman who goes to Rome to become a nun but begins to question her faith after encountering a terrifying darkness that aims to spawn an evil incarnate.
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Release Date
April 5, 2024
Runtime
119 Minutes
Cast
Nell Tiger Free
, Tawfeek Barhom
, Sonia Braga
, Ralph Ineson
, Bill Nighy
Director
Arkasha Stevenson
Serving as a prequel to 1976’s seminal horror offering, Richard Donner’s The Omen, The First Omen follows Margaret Daino, an American nun who discovers a sinister conspiracy to effect the birth of the Antichrist after being sent to work at a Roman orphanage. The movie received glowing reviews upon release, with debuting director Arkasha Stevenson’s picture boasting an 81% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Endowed with a budget of around $30 million, The First Omen’s worldwide gross of $53 million represented an impressive commercial return for the latest installment in the long-running horror franchise. Turning in what is arguably the best Omen movie since the iconic 1976 original decidedly doesn’t hurt the film’s wider reputation either, with critics directing particular praise towards the stellar performances of Nell Tiger Free, Charles Dance, and Bill Nighy.
9
Night Swim
Worldwide Gross: $55 million
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4/10
Night Swim
HorrorThriller
Based on the 2014 short film Night Swim is a horror-thriller film that follows a woman being terrorized by a spirit in her swimming pool. Kerry Condon and Wyatt Russell star in the film, handled by Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions.
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Release Date
January 5, 2024
Runtime
116 Minutes
Cast
Kerry Condon
, Wyatt Russell
, Nancy Lenehan
, Amélie Hoeferle
, Jodi Long
, Gavin Warren
Director
Bryce McGuire
Featuring the big-name likes of Wyatt Russell and Academy Award-nominated actress, Kerry Condon, hopes were high for 2024’s Night Swim prior to the film’s release. The 2024 horror film chronicles the nightmarish trials and tribulations endured by a young family after they discover that their swimming pool is haunted by an evil supernatural presence, with the movie directed by Bryce McGuire in his feature film debut.
Night Swim star Kerry Condon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 2022’s The Banshees of Inisherin.
Unfortunately for any fans hoping for an excellent horror movie, Night Swim proved to be dead in the water from a quality perspective. Near universally panned by critics, the drab and uninspired Blumhouse production clocked in with a measly approval rating of just 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, McGuire’s film was a commercial success, recouping a fairly small budget of $15 million to gross just under $55 million worldwide.
8
Speak No Evil
Worldwide Gross: $76 million
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15
7.9/10
Speak No Evil
HorrorThriller
Speak No Evil is a 2024 horror-thriller film by writer-director James Watkins. A remake of the 2022 movie Speak No Evil follows a family who head to the country for a much-needed vacation – but the situation quickly deteriorates, thrusting them into a horrific nightmare.
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Release Date
September 13, 2024
Runtime
110 Minutes
Cast
James McAvoy
, Mackenzie Davis
, Scoot McNairy
, Alix West Lefler
, Aisling Franciosi
Director
James Watkins
A remake of the 2022 Danish-Dutch film of the same name from Eden Lake director James Watkins, psychological horror Speak No Evil landed as one of the most critically acclaimed genre offerings of the year. Spearheaded by a gloriously unsettling performance from James McAvoy, the movie follows a family visiting a couple that they met on holiday, with proceedings descending into a depraved mess of death and deception in short order.
|
James Watkins’ feature filmography |
|
|---|---|
|
Movie |
Year |
|
Eden Lake |
2008 |
|
The Woman in Black |
2012 |
|
Bastille Day |
2016 |
|
Speak No Evil |
2024 |
Boasting the commercial returns to match the movie’s positive reviews, Speak No Evil proved to be one of the most financially impressive horror movies of 2024. While it was produced on a relatively modest budget of just $15 million, Watkins’ picture grossed more than $76 million worldwide, underlining the film’s credentials as one of the year’s most successful horror outings across the board.
7
The Substance
Worldwide Gross: $77 million
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28
7.8/10
The Substance
HorrorDrama
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
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Release Date
September 20, 2024
Runtime
140 Minutes
Cast
Demi Moore
, Margaret Qualley
, Dennis Quaid
, Gore Abrams
, Hugo Diego Garcia
, Olivier Raynal
, Tiffany Hofstetter
, Tom Morton
, Jiselle Burkhalter
, Axel Baille
, Oscar Lesage
, Matthew Géczy
, Philip Schurer
Director
Coralie Fargeat
A first-rate example of a long horror movie worth sticking through to the end, The Substance follows Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging former A-Lister who uses an experimental drug to create a younger version of herself. This state of affairs allows her to relive her youth but with dire consequences. Led by Demi Moore in a career-best performance, Coralie Fargeat’s picture received effusive praise from critics for the body horror’s jarring visuals, mind-bending premise, and wicked sense of black humor.
The Substance proved to be a hit at the box office too, with the movie earning a whopping $77.6 million worldwide against a respectable budget of $17.5 million. A masterful sophomore effort from Fargeat that is sure to establish the director as a name to watch moving forward, the Moore-led movie stands as one of the year’s finest horror outings, as well as one of the most profitable.
6
Terrifier 3
Worldwide Gross: $88 million
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124
9/10
Terrifier 3
Horror
Terrifier 3 follows Sienna and her brother as they attempt to move past the traumatic events of Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre. As they embrace the Christmas season, Art reemerges, intent on turning their holiday into a nightmare, continuing his reign of terror.
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Release Date
October 11, 2024
Runtime
125 Minutes
Cast
Lauren LaVera
, David Howard Thornton
, Antonella Rose
, Elliott Fullam
, Samantha Scaffidi
, Margaret Anne Florence
, Bryce Johnson
, Alexa Blair Robertson
, Mason Mecartea
, Krsy Fox
, Luciana VanDette
, Clint Howard
, Bradley Stryker
, Daniel Roebuck
, Chris Jericho
, Tom Savini
, Jason Patric
, Alex Ross
, Kailey Hyman
, Kellen Raffaelo
, Lisa Marie Falcone
, Stephen Cofield Jr.
, Corrine Kelly
, Joe Falcone
, Peter Mitchell
, Marie Maser
, Jon Abrahams
Director
Damien Leone
Expand
The third installment in the Terrifier movie series, Terrifier 3 saw the supernatural slasher franchise return against the backdrop of Christmas. The film follows Lauren LaVera’s Sienna Shaw in the aftermath of the events of Terrifier 2, as she is once again pursued by her old tormentor, Art the Clown. Damien Leone’s horror was well received by critics, garnering a 77% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes to land as one of the franchise’s most positively reviewed outings.
|
Terrifier film series Rotten Tomatoes approval rating |
|
|---|---|
|
Movie |
Rating |
|
Terrifier (2016) |
62% |
|
Terrifier 2 (2022) |
86% |
|
Terrifier 3 (2024) |
77% |
As with the other films in the fan-favorite horror series, Terrifier 3 is a first-rate example of how to do a lot with little in terms of financial backing. The movie was made on a paltry budget of just $2 million, a remarkable state of affairs considering that it ultimately ended up grossing nearly $90 million worldwide.
5
Exhuma
Worldwide Gross: $93 million
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Exhuma
HorrorMysteryDramaThriller
When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee Do-hyun) are hired by a wealthy, enigmatic family, they begin investigating the cause of a disturbing supernatural illness that affects only the first-born children of each generation. With the help of a knowledgeable mortician (YOO Hai-jin) and the country’s most revered geomancer (CHOI Min-sik), they soon trace the affliction’s origin to a long-hidden family grave located on sacred ground.
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Release Date
February 22, 2024
Runtime
134 Minutes
Cast
Choi Min-sik
, Kim Go-eun
, Yoo Hae-jin
, Lee Do-Hyun
, and Kim Sun-young
Director
Jang Jae-hyun
A case study of the macabre consequences of disturbing a mysterious grave carried by the stellar efforts of a talented cast, Jang Jae-Hyun’s electrifying supernatural horror Exhuma is a front-runner for 2024’s most unexpected horror movie success story. Debuting at the Berlinale in early 2024, the South Korean cinematic offering was one of the most well-received horror movies of the year, garnering an exemplary Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 95%.
In addition to being the highest-grossing South Korean film of the year, Exhuma’s eye-watering commercial success renders it the sixth highest-grossing South Korean movie in the history of cinema.
Flexing a whopping worldwide return of $93 million to match the movie’s array of superb reviews, Exhuma isn’t just one of 2024’s most profitable horror films. In addition to being the highest-grossing South Korean film of the year, Exhuma’s eye-watering commercial success renders it the sixth highest-grossing South Korean movie in the history of cinema.
4
Longlegs
Worldwide Gross: $126 million
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7.3/10
Longlegs
HorrorThriller
Longlegs is a horror thriller film by writer-director Osgood Perkins. When FBI agent Lee Harker is assigned to a serial killer cold case, their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole riddled with disturbing discoveries and the occult at the center of it all. When the trail of evidence reveals a personal connection, it becomes a race against time to prevent another murder.
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Release Date
July 12, 2024
Runtime
101 Minutes
Cast
Maika Monroe
, Nicholas Cage
, Blair Underwood
, Alicia Witt
, Michelle Choi-Lee
, Dakota Daulby
, Lauren Acala
, Kiernan Shipka
Director
Oz Perkins
Thanks to one of the more inspired promotional campaigns in recent memory and the news that Nicolas Cage would be playing the titular serial killer, Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs was one of the year’s most highly anticipated horror movies. Carried by an electric turn from Cage that jarringly alternates between laugh-out-loud ridiculous and completely terrifying as Maika Monroe’s Lee Harker desperately races against time to stop him, Longlegs has the makings of a cult classic.
Basking in a wave of near-universal critical acclaim, Perkins’ masterfully unsettling offering grossed nearly $127 million worldwide to underline the movie’s credentials as a front-runner for 2024’s most successful horror outing. The director’s most profitable film in his career to date, Longlegs also boasts the accolade of the year’s highest-grossing independent film, as well as Neon’s highest-grossing movie.
3
Smile 2
Worldwide Gross: $138 million
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48
8.6/10
Smile 2
HorrorThriller
Smile 2 is the sequel to the 2022 psychological horror film by director Parker Finn that centers on a therapist who witnesses a patient’s suicide, leading to a series of terrifying supernatural events. The sequel will see the return of Finn as director, with Paramount continuing distribution.
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Release Date
October 18, 2024
Runtime
132 minutes
Cast
Kyle Gallner
, Naomi Scott
, Lukas Gage
, Rosemarie DeWitt
, Dylan Gelula
, Peter Jacobson
, Raul Castillo
, Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Director
Parker Finn
One of the horror genre’s preeminent modern examples of a sequel that surpasses the original in terms of quality, Smile 2 carried on the tale of the grinning entity in an electrifying fashion. Led by a knockout turn from Anatomy of a Scandal star Naomi Scott as pop singer Skye Riley, the latest victim of the series’ supernatural tormentor, Parker Finn’s psychological horror built on the foundations laid by 2022’s original to produce a first-rate sequel.
2022’s Smile grossed more than $217 million worldwide against a budget of just $17 million.
While it didn’t match the jaw-dropping commercial returns of the original outing, Smile 2 still stands as one of the year’s most profitable horror movies. In addition to garnering a commendable approval rating of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, Finn’s picture raked in more than $138 million worldwide, highlighting the considerable potential for Smile to blossom into one of horror’s new flagship franchises.
2
A Quiet Place: Day One
Worldwide Gross: $261 million
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13
8.3/10
A Quiet Place: Day One
DramaHorror Sci-Fi
A Quiet Place: Day One is a spin-off of the A Quiet Place franchise conceived by John Krasinski. The film is set at the beginning of the invasion as humanity scrambles to survive, before the events of the original film, with Lupita Nyong’O leading the cast, directed by Michael Sarnoski.
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Release Date
June 28, 2024
Runtime
99 Minutes
Cast
Lupita Nyong’o
, Joseph Quinn
, Alex Wolff
, Djimon Hounsou
, Eliane Umuhire
Director
Michael Sarnoski
The first installment in the A Quiet Place movie series that doesn’t feature the Abbott family, 2024’s spin-off prequel film A Quiet Place: Day One depicts the early stages of the franchise’s apocalypse from the perspective of a brand-new set of characters. Led by Joseph Quinn and Academy Award-winning actress Lupita N’yongo, Michael Sarnoski’s apocalyptic horror outing was lauded by critics, with many highlighting the chemistry between the aforementioned duo as a key element of the movie’s success.
Djimon Honsou’s supporting character Henri also features briefly in 2020’s A Quiet Place Part II.
While the prequel failed to topple the original duo of films’ lofty box office returns, A Quiet Place: Day One still proved to be 2024’s second most financially successful horror film by a considerable stretch. Sarnoski’s picture grossed more than $261 million worldwide, more than enough to carry on the franchise’s history of impressive commercial returns.
1
Alien: Romulus
Worldwide Gross: $351 million
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128
8.1/10
Alien: Romulus
Sci-FiHorrorThriller
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
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Release Date
August 16, 2024
Runtime
119 Minutes
Cast
Cailee Spaeny
, David Jonsson
, Archie Renaux
, Isabela Merced
, Spike Fearn
, Aileen Wu
, Rosie Ede
, Soma Simon
, Bence Okeke
, Viktor Orizu
, Robert Bobroczkyi
, Trevor Newlin
, Annemarie Griggs
, Daniel Betts
Director
Fede Alvarez
A standalone offering in the Alien movie timeline set between Alien and Aliens, Alien: Romulus proved to be an inspired return to prime form for the storied franchise. Chronicling the horrific experiences of six young space colonists who find themselves set upon by Xenomorphs while exploring an abandoned spaceship, Fede Alvarez’s movie has been described by some critics as the iconic film series’ best offering since 1986’s Aliens.
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In keeping with the Alien franchise’s lofty reputation, Alien: Romulus beat off the competition to land as the highest-grossing horror movie of 2024 by some distance. A top-tier case study in extra-terrestrial claustrophobia and suspense spearheaded by a superb turn from Cailee Spaeny, Alvarez’s picture earned a staggering worldwide return of more than $350 million, eclipsing its nearest rival by nearly $100 million to earn status as the Alien franchise’s second highest grossing outing.