20 Huge Horror Movie Hits NOBODY Expected

William Friedkin's The Exorcist wasn't expected to be much of a hit, with Warner Bros. having low expectations due to it being a horror film without a name cast that also ran over budget.

As a result, the studio didn't screen it for critics and gave it a paltry initial release, but when it began selling out the small number of cinemas it was booked in, it was swiftly expanded to a wide release.

Strong word-of-mouth and media reports about adverse audience reactions to the film's shocking content created a snowball effect where The Exorcist became a must-see pop-culture phenomenon. By the end of its original theatrical run, it grossed an incredible $193 million on a mere $12 million budget, but re-releases over the last half-century have seen that figure balloon to $441.3 million.

That's not all, of course, as The Exorcist unexpectedly became the first horror film to ever be nominated for Best Picture, while also being nominated for nine additional gongs and even winning two, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.

By the end of its original run, The Exorcist had solidified itself as an all-timer horror film, and though this has led to five other Exorcist movies to date, their combined box office gross doesn't even get close to the original's outrageous haul.