Horror movies are making a comeback, bringing in more than 15 percent of Canadian and U.S. box office proceeds in 2025. In 2026, this number already stands at 14.6 percent even before the big Halloween rush, making it likely that last year's peak we will surpassed. This is according to data by websites The Numbers and Molten Cloud.
Hits like Sinners and Weapons carried the genre as did franchises, for example The Conjuring, Insidious, Final Destination, Five Nights at Freddy's and even the return of Scream, now on its seventh movie. The horror boom is happening at the same time as the recovery of box office revenue in North America in general. As of October, proceeds already surpassed 8 billion U.S. dollars, meaning 2026 will likely shape up to the the best post-pandemic year for North American movie theaters.
Molten Cloud observes that contributing to the success of horror are savvy, small labels producing successful films on a budget as well as a growing domestic audience. They observe that the best-running films are typically original screenplays, so gory they are rated R, on the short end at around 100 to 110 minutes and opening in the summer, not around Halloween.
