20 Things You Didn't Know About The Exorcist
5. It's The Highest Grossing R-rated Film Of All Time After Inflation
The Exorcist was the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time for 17 years following its release. It wasn't until the arrival of Pretty Woman, of all things, that The Exorcist would lose its place at the top of the box-office charts for adult-focused films.
Even today in the world of Deadpool and Joker, it still reigns supreme when adjusted for inflation.
Though The Exorcist was overtaken as the highest-grossing horror film of all time by both parts of the latest adaptation of Stephen King's IT, it would still beat both of their total receipts combined when adjusted for inflation. The Exorcist's adjusted earnings would be over $1.794 billion in today's ticket sales.
To put that into context, Joker became the first R-rated film to make a billion dollars at the global box office in 2019. But that would still leave Joker more than $700 million dollars short of The Exorcist's takings if adjusted appropriately for inflation.
Nearly 50 years on and still the king of the R-rated earnings.