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Horror box office · May 2009

Horror Box Office, May 2009: Top-Grossing Releases

Drag Me to Hell (2009) is the highest-grossing horror movie released in May 2009, with $90.8M worldwide, ahead of Tormented (2009) at $1.4M and The Tournament (2009) at $493.5K. 7 horror films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $93.2M in all, 45% of it from the US & Canada. That is 24.7 times the total of April 2009, whose releases took $3.8M. By language, English leads with $93.2M across 6 horror releases.

May 2009 releases with a gross
7
combined worldwide
$93.2M
Drag Me to Hell (2009), the #1
$90.8M
vs April 2009
×24.7
Drag Me to Hell (2009) movie poster #1 of 7
#1 horror movie of May 2009

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

2009 · Thriller, Horror

$90.8M worldwide · 98% of the chart's total

$42.1M US & Canada · 46% $48.7M elsewhere · 54%
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Horror Hits of May 2009?

Drag Me to Hell (2009) leads with $90.8M, 98% of the total. The top 5 together took $93.1M, almost all of what the 7 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Drag Me to Hell (2009) movie poster Number 1
    $90.8M Drag Me to Hell (2009)
    $42.1M US & Canada · 46% $48.7M elsewhere · 54%
  2. Tormented (2009) movie poster Number 2
    $1.4M Tormented (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. The Tournament (2009) movie poster Number 3
    $493.5K The Tournament (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. The Devil’s Tomb (2009) movie poster Number 4
    $220.9K The Devil’s Tomb (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. The Skeptic (2009) movie poster Number 5
    $205.6K The Skeptic (2009)
    $6.7K US & Canada · 3% $198.9K elsewhere · 97%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Horror Release of May 2009, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in May 2009.

  1. 1 Drag Me to Hell (2009) movie poster
    Drag Me to Hell (2009) May 29, 2009 · English · Thriller, Horror $90.8M worldwide
    May 29, 2009 US and Canada: $42.1M Rest of the world: $48.7M Worldwide: $90.8M
  2. 2 Tormented (2009) movie poster
    Tormented (2009) May 22, 2009 · English · Comedy, Horror $1.4M worldwide
    May 22, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.4M
  3. 3 The Tournament (2009) movie poster
    The Tournament (2009) May 1, 2009 · English · Action, Thriller, Horror $493.5K worldwide
    May 1, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $493.5K
  4. 4 The Devil’s Tomb (2009) movie poster
    The Devil’s Tomb (2009) May 26, 2009 · English · Horror, Sci-Fi, Action $220.9K worldwide
    May 26, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $220.9K
  5. 5 The Skeptic (2009) movie poster
    The Skeptic (2009) May 1, 2009 · English · Thriller, Horror $205.6K worldwide
    May 1, 2009 US and Canada: $6.7K Rest of the world: $198.9K Worldwide: $205.6K
  6. 6 Pontypool (2009) movie poster
    Pontypool (2009) May 29, 2009 · English · Thriller, Horror $32.1K worldwide
    May 29, 2009 US and Canada: $3.9K Rest of the world: $28.3K Worldwide: $32.1K
  7. 7 The First 7th Night (2009) movie poster
    The First 7th Night (2009) May 21, 2009 · Cantonese · Horror, Thriller $9.1K worldwide
    May 21, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $9.1K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 2009?

Of the top 7, Drag Me to Hell (2009) earned the biggest share at home (46% in the US & Canada), while The Skeptic (2009) made 97% of its gross abroad. Across all 7 films, $42.1M (45%) came from the US & Canada. 4 films of the top 7 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Drag Me to Hell (2009) $90.8M
    $42.1M US & Canada · 46% $48.7M elsewhere · 54%
  2. 2 Tormented (2009) $1.4M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. 3 The Tournament (2009) $493.5K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. 4 The Devil’s Tomb (2009) $220.9K
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. 5 The Skeptic (2009) $205.6K
    $6.7K US & Canada · 3% $198.9K elsewhere · 97%
  6. 6 Pontypool (2009) $32.1K
    $3.9K US & Canada · 12% $28.3K elsewhere · 88%
  7. 7 The First 7th Night (2009) $9.1K
    No US & Canada figure reported
Earlier years

How Does May 2009 Compare With May in Earlier Years?

Of these 10 years, May 2009 earned the most: $93.2M from 7 films, led by Drag Me to Hell (2009).

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 2000 1 film 1 $307K – Deep in the Woods (2000) $307K
May 2001 No films 0 – – –
May 2002 3 films 3 $2.2M – The Gathering (2002) $1.3M
May 2003 2 films · +1204% 2 $28.7M +1204% Wrong Turn (2003) $28.7M
May 2004 7 films · −54% 7 $13.3M −54% Godzilla (2004) $9.2M
May 2005 10 films · +463% 10 $75.1M +463% House of Wax (2005) $68.8M
May 2006 9 films · −25% 9 $56M −25% An American Haunting (2006) $29.6M
May 2007 7 films · +54% 7 $86.5M +54% 28 Weeks Later (2007) $65M
May 2008 6 films · −1% 6 $85.4M −1% The Strangers (2008) $82.4M
May 2009 7 films · +9% 7 $93.2M +9% Drag Me to Hell (2009) $90.8M
FAQ

Horror Box Office May 2009: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 7 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing horror movie in May 2009?

Drag Me to Hell (2009) leads with $90.8M worldwide, $42.1M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Tormented (2009) at $1.4M and The Tournament (2009) at $493.5K.

How much did horror movies released in May 2009 earn?

7 horror films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $93.2M in all, or $13.3M per film on average. April 2009 releases took $3.8M.

How many horror movies released in May 2009 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Drag Me to Hell (2009), earned $90.8M.

How much of the May 2009 Horror box office came from the US and Canada?

$42.1M of the $93.2M total, or 45%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 4 films of the 7 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 2009 horror box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in May 2009. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.

How often is the May 2009 horror box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.