Highest-grossing movies released on Halloween weekend

Touchstone Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images Halloween weekend might seem like the perfect time to catch a flick that will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you grip the person next to you. And it’s true, there have been lots of horror films that have dominated the box office around those final days of October when the appetite for “fright nights” is at an all-time high. But Halloween also offers an interesting time for studios to release other types of movies that don’t fit into the “summer blockbuster” mold or the feel-good, family-friendly films that start rolling out during the holiday season in November and December. The most successful box office hits around that period haven’t necessarily offered the biggest chills and thrills. Casino Bonus Canada compiled a ranking of the highest-grossing movies in the U.S. on Halloween weekend from the last 40 years, using data from The Numbers. Box office gross figures are adjusted for inflation. All films in theaters during the years when Halloween landed between Friday and Sunday were considered. Whether you’re a certified screamfest streamer, a creature feature newbie, or a genre-inclusive cinephile, you may be surprised by the movies that dominated Halloween box office weekends from the early 1980s until 2022. Read on to see the top 20, and be warned, some spoilers are ahead. #20. Devil’s Advocate Kevin Winter/Getty Images – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $34,395,110 – Total domestic gross: $61,004,828 – Genre: Horror – Run time: 91 minutes – Release date: Oct. 29, 2010 – Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell “Saw 3D” isn’t the third installment in the “Saw” franchise, but rather the seventh, a sequel to “Saw VI.” The movie earned its name because it employed RealD 3D technology, pushing its $17 million production budget–a stratospheric rise from the $1.2 million spent on “Saw.” The plot follows the main character from the first installment in the series, Dr. Lawrence Gordon (portrayed by Cary Elwes), who previously hacked off his foot to escape death at the hands of Jigsaw. #6. Michael Jackson’s This Is It Dominique Charriau/WireImage – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $34,696,693 – Total domestic gross: $101,215,782 – Genre: Documentary – Run time: 111 minutes – Release date: Oct. 28, 2009 – Cast: Michael Jackson, Kenny Ortega, Michael Bearden A concert documentary is not necessarily what you might consider Halloween weekend movie fare, but Michael Jackson’s death in June 2009 certainly gave an eeriness to this film. Released right before Halloween 2009, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” looks behind the scenes at the King of Pop’s planned concert residency at London’s O2 Arena, originally scheduled to kick off 18 days before his unexpected death. The movie became the second-highest-grossing concert film of all time. It also served as a swan song for the pop star who had become a bona fide Halloween icon, thanks to the 1983 release of his zombie-themed “Thriller” music video. #5. House on Haunted Hill Djamilla Rosa Cochran/Getty Images – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $35,156,610 – Total domestic gross: $73,695,008 – Genre: Horror – Run time: 92 minutes – Release date: Oct. 29, 1999 – Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Taye Diggs, Ali Larter Based on the 1959 version of “House on Haunted Hill” directed by William Castle and starring Vincent Price, the 1999 iteration also involves a group of guests invited to try to survive the night in a former psychiatric institute burned down by patients in protest nearly 70 years prior. In the original, the guests vie to win $10,000–while in the remake, the stakes are $1 million. As you might expect, the partygoers are dying to get rich–figuratively and literally. #4. Brother Bear Jim Spellman/WireImage for Miramax // Getty – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $36,041,510 – Total domestic gross: $129,683,525 – Genre: Adventure – Release date: Oct. 24, 2003 – Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis Another unexpected entry on this list is Walt Disney Pictures’ animated family feature “Brother Bear,” a G-rated alternative to the more adult-oriented movies released in theaters at the same time. It’s now notable as one of the last of its kind in the Disney animation world as a final entry in the 2D, hand-drawn style that the studio moved away from in favor of the 3D, computer-generated look and feel of Pixar (whose “Finding Nemo” was also released in 2003). #3. Ray J. Vespa/WireImage – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $36,142,512 – Total domestic gross: $111,030,397 – Genre: Drama – Run time: 152 minutes – Release date: Oct. 29, 2004 – Cast: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Regina King “Ray” is a music biopic about singer/musician Ray Charles, who died in June 2004, just months before the film’s debut. The film’s critical acclaim helped it achieve incredible commercial success upon its Halloween weekend release–with accolades coming from many major media outlets. The praise was exceptionally high for actor Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of the film’s subject, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005. #2. Scary Movie 3 Dave Hogan/Getty Images – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $37,180,035 – Total domestic gross: $167,261,130 – Genre: Comedy – Run time: 85 minutes – Release date: Oct. 24, 2003 – Cast: Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Regina Hall The only film in the “Scary Movie” horror spoof franchise to make this list is “Scary Movie 3,” which shifted its attention to poking fun at “The Ring,” “Signs,” and even some nonhorror subjects like “8 Mile” and “The Matrix” franchise. Shawn, Marlon, and Keenan Ivory Wayans created the series, but the brothers were not part of the third installment, reportedly getting fired by Harvey and Bob Weinstein. “Scary Movie 3” introduced some new faces to the franchise, including Pamela Anderson, Charlie Sheen, Kevin Hart, and Jenny McCarthy. #1. The Grudge Kevin Winter/Getty Images – Halloween weekend domestic gross: $39,348,971 – Total domestic gross: $162,962,207 – Genre: Horror – Run time: 92 minutes – Release date: Oct. 22, 2004 – Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Bill Pullman By May 2004, actor Sarah Michelle Gellar had wrapped up her seven-season run on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”–and with the release of “The Grudge” five months later, she traded immortal blood drinkers for supernatural curses. The film is a remake of a Japanese horror original–following in the tradition of “The Ring” in 2002, the American version of Japan’s 1998 movie “Ringu.” One of the producers who helped bring it to U.S. audiences was none other than Sam Raimi, the director of the 1981 cult horror classic “The Evil Dead.” Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Jaimie Etkin. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on Casino Bonus Canada and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.