film / tv / substack / social media / lists / web / celeb / pajiba love / misc / about / cbr
film / tv / substack / web / celeb

Misery.jpg

Ranking the 39 Stephen King Adaptations Based on Inflation Adjusted Box-Office Totals

By Dustin Rowles | Box Office Round-Ups | October 21, 2013 |

By Dustin Rowles | Box Office Round-Ups | October 21, 2013 |


There were three new entries at the box office this weekend, and all three fell below expectations, as Gravity continued its incredible run at the box office, adding another $30 million (bringing its total to $170 million), while Tom Hanks’ Captain Phillips had a very nice hold, as well, dropping just 32 percent and adding another $17 million (it’s over $50 million cumulative). Gravity is playing so well right now that I wouldn’t be surprised if it still occupied many of the IMAX and 3D screens come Thanksgiving. If so, I’ll make a second visit.

The news wasn’t as good for the newbies. Benedict Cumberbatch’s The Fifth Estate was dead on arrival. The Julian Assange biopic could only muster $1.7 million over the weekend, and will likely be heading out of theaters by next weekend to make room for Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (make of that what you will). The teaming of Arnold Schwarzennegar and Sylvester Stallone in Escape Plan would’ve been the biggest movie of 1988, but in 2013, it opened with only $9.8 million. The novelty on these two has completely worn off, as Stallone’s Bullet to the Head and Arnie’s The Last Stand both bombed earlier this year.

Finally, the remake of Stephen King’s Carrie racked up $17 million, which was disappointing in a year in which horror movies have been playing well. The Conjuring opened with $41 million; Insidious Chapter 2 opened with $40 million; The Purge opened with $34 million; and Mama opened with $28 million. Horror remakes typically have not played that well overall, but most of them at least have had decent opening weekends. That wasn’t so much the case for Carrie, which will likely end its run with around $45 million, which places it right in the middle of the pack for Stephen King movies.

Believe it or not, there have also been a whopping 39 films made based on (or inspired by) Stephen King titles, which is insane, especially considering how many more are in the pipeline, as well as the fact that Stephen King is still churning potential adaptations.

Here is how Stephen King’s oeuvre ranks, adjusted for inflation.

1. The Green Mile — $213,101,900

2. The Shining — $133,524,800

3. Carrie (1976) — $129,487,300

4. Misery — $118,459,300

5. Pet Sematary — $118,123,600

6. Stand by Me $115,004,100

7. 1408 — $85,378,300

8. The Running Man — $79,229,800

9. The Lawnmower Man — $63,118,700

10. Secret Window $63,102,500

11. Sleepwalkers — $60,019,800

12. Creepshow — $58,365,500

13. Cujo — $54,804,500

14. The Shawshank Redemption — $54,346,600

15. The Dead Zone — $53,795,400

16. Christine — $52,792,300

17. Carrie (2013) $46 million (est. at the end of its run)

18. Dolores Claiborne — $45,699,500

19. Dreamcatcher — $45,624,900

20. Firestarter — $41,480,400

21. Children of the Corn — $35,381,800

22. Hearts in Atlantis — $34,868,600

23. Pet Sematary II — $33,608,300

24. Tales From the Darkside: The Movie — $31,491,400

25. The Mist — $30,340,800

26. Cat’s Eye — $30,080,100

27. Needful Things — $29,931,200

28. The Rage: Carrie 2 — $28,532,200

29. Silver Bullet — $28,414,900

30. Stephen King’s Thinner $28,274,700

31. Graveyard Shift — $22,344,300

32. The Dark Half — $20,914,800

33. Maximum Overdrive — $16,350,100

34. Apt Pupil — $15,420,800

35. Children of the Corn II — $13,759,600

36. Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace —$4,447,800

37. The Mangler — $3,341,600

38. The Night Flier — $218,200

39. Stephen King’s Riding the Bullet — $177,000