The 10 horror movies with the biggest opening weekends at the box office of the decade

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The 10 horror movies with the biggest opening weekends at the box office of the decade

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Lupita Nyong'o in a scene from

Universal Pictures

"Us"

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  • Jordan Peele's "Us" surpassed box-office projections for a $70 million opening weekend.
  • Here are the 10 biggest opening weekends for horror movies since 2010.

The horror genre has seen a surge at the box office in recent years.

The latest example is "Get Out" director Jordan Peele's "Us," which grossed $70 million over the weekend - the third biggest opening for a horror movie of all time, and the biggest for an original horror movie.

The movie surpassed projections, which put it between $50 million and $65 million, and more than doubled the opening weekend of Peele's "Get Out" in 2017.

Other recent horror blockbusters include "It" in 2017, and "Halloween" and "A Quiet Place" last year.

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Below are the horror movies since 2010 with the biggest opening weekends:

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10. "Insidious Chapter 2" (2013)

10. "Insidious Chapter 2" (2013)

Opening weekend: $40,272,103

Total domestic gross: $83,586,447

Total worldwide gross: $161,919,318

Production budget: $5 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 39%

What critics said: "Insidious: Chapter 2 is a puzzle movie with too many unnecessary pieces and not enough essential ones, but it's superior to its predecessor in a few basic ways." — Simon Abrams, RogerEbert.com

9. "The Conjuring 2" (2016)

9. "The Conjuring 2" (2016)

Opening weekend: $40,406,314

Total domestic gross: $102,470,008

Total worldwide gross: $320,392,818

Production budget: $40 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 80%

What critics said: "Wan's expert deployment of genre jolts is no less in evidence this time around, but as he takes his time - perhaps even a bit too much of it - interweaving the Warrens' story with that of the Hodgsons... he crafts a deep dive into dread." — Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter

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8. "Paranormal Activity 2" (2010)

8. "Paranormal Activity 2" (2010)

Opening weekend: $40,678,424

Total domestic gross: $84,752,907

Total worldwide gross: $177,512,032

Production budget: $3 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 59%

What critics said: "Even knowing what's likely to come — the doors opening on their own, the skeptical characters scoffing at metaphysical explanations, the unheeded warnings from paranormally gifted guests — doesn't make it any less nailbiting to watch." — Dana Stevens, Slate

7. "The Conjuring" (2013)

7. "The Conjuring" (2013)

Opening weekend: $41,855,326

Total domestic gross: $84,752,907

Total worldwide gross: $137,400,141

Production budget: $20 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 85%

What critics said: "In The Conjuring, the scary casts out the spirit of the silly, permanently, and with a vengeance." — Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

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6. "A Quiet Place" (2018)

6. "A Quiet Place" (2018)

Opening weekend: $50,203,562

Total domestic gross: $188,024,361

Total worldwide gross: $340,939,361

Production budget: $17 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 95%

What critics said: "A Quiet Place is an undoubtedly taxing affair for the nerves; fortunately, it's also a deeply affecting one." — David Sims, The Atlantic

5. "Paranormal Activity 3" (2011)

5. "Paranormal Activity 3" (2011)

Opening weekend: $52,568,183

Total domestic gross: $104,028,807

Total worldwide gross: $207,039,844

Production budget: $5 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 68%

What critics said: "This third Paranormal is a prequel that occasionally goes off the rails but also offers more laughs and somewhat more character development than the previous installments." — Claudia Puig, USA Today

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4. "The Nun" (2018)

4. "The Nun" (2018)

Opening weekend: $53,807,379

Total domestic gross: $117,450,119

Total worldwide gross: $365,550,119

Production budget: $22 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 26%

What critics said: "Its script utilizes the kitchen-sink approach common to contemporary Hollywood blockbusters-and the film is worse off for it." — Katie Rife, AV Club

3. "Us" (2019)

3. "Us" (2019)

Opening weekend: $70,250,000

Total domestic gross (so far): $70,250,000

Total worldwide gross (so far): $86,950,000

Production budget: $20 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94%

What critics said: "Last time, Peele made a movie about the country. This time he made a movie about himself, and it's even better." — Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

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2. "Halloween" (2018)

2. "Halloween" (2018)

Opening weekend: $76,221,545

Total domestic gross: $159,342,015

Total worldwide gross: $253,688,035

Production budget: $10 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 79%

What critics said: "This slasher movie reboot for the #MeToo Era is the trick-or-treat frightfest you've been waiting for, highlighted by Jamie Lee Cuirtis in a savage roar of a performance in the role that made her a star." — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

1. "It" (2017)

1. "It" (2017)

Opening weekend: $123,403,419

Total domestic gross: $327,481,748

Total worldwide gross: $700,381,748

Production budget: $35 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 85%

What critics said: "This new It has more on its mind, and gives more body and voice to King's ideas of childhood anxieties and the corrosive power of fear." — Emily Yoshida, Vulture

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