Successful Box Office Horror Films

One of the most successful horror films of all time is Jaws (1975). With a budget of $7 million (very small) and a domestic gross of $260 million (in America alone), it made a lot of money back, unlike most films. It then made on top of that it made $210,653,000 worldwide. Due to the film being close to realism, the film could be created on little special effects, therefore keeping the costs down.

The sequel, Jaws 2 (1878) had an estimated budget of $20 million, it made its money back ($81 million) but it was not as successful as the first film. Due to it being only a few years released after the first film, the film could have been rushed therefore the story not being as good as it could have been, disappointing viewers therefore creating bad press and not as many DVD sales. Most of the viewers would have gone to watch the film due to its successful first film.

I am legend (2007) is a much more recent film with a budget of $150 million and a domestic gross of $256,393,010. Due to the story being strong, helps to engage the viewer and share it round amongst others. This then creates extra revenue for the film.
The Poltergeist (1982) had a budget of $10 million and had a domestic gross of $76,606,280. Due to it being very successful, helped to boost the audience for the sequel films.