Published Jan 28, 2026, 10:00 AM EST
Zach Moser is a Philadelphia native who loves films, television, books, and any and all media he can get his hands on. Zach has had articles published on satirical sites such as Points In Case, Slackjaw, and McSweeney's.
The Exorcist is still one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, even without adjusting for inflation, and for decades, no other R-rated horror film could touch it. Based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel, The Exorcist is inarguably one of the greatest horror films ever, holding up for over half-a-century since release.
I've spoken at length about how The Exorcist remains as scary now as it ever was. It's one of those horror films that gets into your bones and stays with you for weeks. Not only was it a critical and scare success, it was also massively popular at the box office, even without adjusting for its 1973 release date.
The Exorcist Was The Highest Grossing R-Rated Horror Movie Of All Time Until 2017
The Exorcist was a huge box office success. It began breaking records immediately upon release. Within the first month, The Exorcist was well on its way to surpassing Warner Bros. most successful film to date, My Fair Lady (via NYT). As of 2023, The Exorcist has a combined $430 million worldwide gross (via BoxOfficeMojo).
Even without adjusting for inflation, The Exorcist was the highest-grossing R-rated horror movie for over four decades. It wasn't until 2017 that The Exorcist was dethroned. Andy Muschietti's It Chapter One ended up earning $720 million, knocking The Exorcist from its perch (via BoxOfficeMojo).
Will 2017's It Spend As Much Time As The Highest-Grossing Horror Movie?
2017's It was a phenomenon, adapting a Stephen King classic epic that had only been tackled once before in a TV special. That TV special has its acolytes, but even they will admit the series ran up against budget problems, which make the massive setpieces of the book feel undersold at best and cheesy at worst.
With a budget of around $35-$40 million, It (2017) didn't have that problem. The movie was quick to take the crown as the highest-grossing horror movie ever of any rating, but how long will it stay there? The next film on the box office list is The Sixth Sense with $673 million (via BoxOfficeMojo).
The next movies on the list are all significantly older than It, and none are rated R until The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) and It Chapter 2 (2019), both of which surpass The Exorcist. With all that in mind, nothing has gotten close to It, and it may be a while before that film is knocked off its own perch.
Why The Exorcist Is A Timeless Classic
As successful as It was at the box office, it still pales in comparison to The Exorcist. The horror films are operating on two different planes of competency, which is more of an acknowledgment of The Exorcist's strengths than It's weaknesses. It is a good movie. The Exorcist is a classic.
The sound design, the carefully constructed scares, a plot that would be equally fascinating even without the supernatural elements, The Exorcist is as well-rounded a movie as you will find. These powerful films don't always earn the box office they deserve, so it's important to acknowledge those that impress audiences and critics equally.
Release Date December 26, 1973
Runtime 122 minutes
Director William Friedkin
Writers William Peter Blatty
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Ellen Burstyn
Chris MacNeil
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Linda Blair
Regan MacNeil
English (US) ·