9. “The Exorcist” (1973)

Estimated admissions: 116,532,505

Non-adjusted domestic gross: $232,906,145

Estimated domestic adjusted gross: $1,049,957,870

Audiences may have fainted, vomited and cried in the theater when “The Exorcist” debuted in 1973, but that didn’t stop them from buying tickets. William Friedkin’s groundbreaking horror film made the bulk of its money during its initial release, according to CNBC, and was brought to theaters again in 2000 and 2010 with extended scenes. All told, the movie sold an estimated 116.5 million tickets, which equates to around $1.04 billion.