box office

It Beats The Exorcist to Become the Highest-Grossing Horror Movie of All Time in a Face-off You’d Really Love to See Onscreen

Photo: Warner Bros.

If you were placing bets on a Pennywise the Dancing Clown versus Regan MacNeil as inhabited by the Devil bout, who would you put your money on? On the one hand, Pennywise has gotten wailed on by kids before. On the other hand, recite a few Bible verses and Satan is down for the count. For the last 44 years, The Exorcist has been the most successful horror movie to ever hit theaters. According to Variety, however, the new It has officially surpassed the 1973 film’s $441 million worldwide box office. In fact, It has pulled in more than $500 million, and that’s even before opening in countries like Germany, Italy, and Japan. That being said, as The Guardian points out, adjusting for inflation still puts The Exorcist in the lead with, um, $1.794 billion. A monster success like It obviously has at least one sequel on the way, but with a half-billion earned so far, maybe we’ll get enough sequels to get an It versus The Exorcist mash-up, Alien vs. Predator–style. Pennywise and the Devil are both immortal, so we have some time.

It Beats The Exorcist to Become Highest-Grossing Horror Film