After a long span of eighteen years, the “Friday the 13th” series is preparing to unleash more of Jason Voorhees’ brutal exploits, and he’s set to expand his storytelling across various media platforms. This isn’t entirely new territory for Jason, as he’s previously ventured into multi-media projects. For example, the critically acclaimed “Friday the 13th: The Game” multiplayer video game (may it be fondly remembered), and the Jason-absent “Friday the 13th: The Series.” However, this new undertaking represents a fresh challenge, aiming to reintroduce Jason to the public and maintain his prominence. It’s expected that the big screen will play a significant role in this endeavor, given that it’s where the IP has thrived since its debut in 1980.
Among the twelve movies I’ve watched, it’s clear that some have truly outshone the rest. Let me share with you the rankings of the Friday the 13th series, based on their adjusted box office earnings.
This way, we can appreciate which films in this franchise have made a significant impact at the box office.
12) Jason X — $23.8 Million
After eight years without a new installment of a popular IP, you’d think there would be quite a bit of excitement among fans. However, it’s surprising to consider that only half of the most devoted Friday the 13th enthusiasts attended Jason X.
Despite having a budget of approximately $11 million (in 2001 dollars), the space-set horror film failed to make a profit. It managed to earn only $13.1 million domestically and a meager $3.8 million from foreign markets. The movie didn’t face much competition, opening against just the romantic comedy Life or Something Like It, starring Angelina Jolie. It edged past that film but still came in third place during its release weekend, with the sophomore weekends of The Scorpion King and Changing Lanes taking the top spots.
11) Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday — $35.4 Million
Despite a significantly altered central idea and a four-year interval between Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and its preceding installment, it was evident that the public’s enthusiasm for Friday the 13th had not recovered; instead, it had persistently dwindled. If not for Jason X, the lackluster performance of Jason Goes to Hell would serve as the most compelling demonstration that interest in Jason Voorhees had hit a low point.
In natural and easy to read language: Jason Goes to Hell was the initial movie in the trilogy of Friday the 13th films produced by New Line Cinema, following a decade and eight movies under Paramount Pictures. At this time, New Line, known as “The House That Freddy Built,” was attempting to broaden their collection of slasher characters. The Final Friday earned five times its $3 million budget, but it’s clear that New Line had hoped for even greater success from the film.
10) Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan — $37.1 Million
The film “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan,” released in the summer of 1989, was often criticized for being a major disappointment. With its intriguing title and eye-catching promotional materials, it had built up high expectations. Consequently, when it failed to deliver on those expectations, viewers found it underwhelming.
The movie failed to live up to its grand title promise until the closing scenes. Instead, it wasn’t about a new problem in New York City as suggested, but rather a trouble on a ship heading towards New York. With a production budget of $5.5 million and gross earnings of $14.3 million, it barely made any profit. It was necessary to temporarily halt the Jason character’s appearances.
9) Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood — $52 Million
Towards the end of the ’80s, people were starting to get tired of the slasher movie subgenre. However, Freddy Krueger was an exception since he had revitalized it and continued to gain popularity following his debut film. To illustrate, in 1988, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master earned more money than both Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood and Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers combined.
A significant factor played a role in this situation: the exceptional quality of “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” and the refreshing portrayal of Freddy Krueger compared to the mute antagonists of previous slasher films. This left Jason and Michael Myers in a difficult position, as neither their anticipated comeback nor the prospect of Carrie White versus Jason Voorhees was enough to spark audience excitement. It seems that viewers were growing weary of watching teenagers being slaughtered by a silent force, even with an added gimmick. However, “The New Blood” managed to earn almost seven times its production budget, providing sufficient reason for Freddy’s move to Manhattan.
8) Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives — $57 Million
If a mediocre film in a franchise performs well at the box office, it’s likely that future installments will experience lower viewership, even if they surpass their predecessors in quality. This is what transpired with films like Terminator: Dark Fate following Terminator Genisys, and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives after Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning.
Despite receiving favorable reviews for the franchise, Jason Lives didn’t have a significant impact at the box office. Although its earnings of $19.5 million against a budget of $3 million made it profitable, it also underscored the dwindling financial strength of the IP following The Final Chapter.
7) Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning — $65.4 Million
The film “A New Beginning,” part of the Friday the 13th series, arrived only eleven months following Paramount’s supposed final killing off of Jason in “The Final Chapter.” At that point, it marked the shortest gap between sequels, a record it continues to hold.
In simpler terms, given the short timeframe since its previous version, it was almost inevitable for the movie to show a substantial decrease in performance compared to its predecessor. However, despite the negative feedback from fans and the challenging circumstances, it managed to perform quite admirably, earning nearly ten times its production cost.
6) Friday the 13th Part 2 — $76.7 Million
On Friday the 13th Part 2, it earned more than Wolfen, Scanners, The Howling, and Omen III: The Final Conflict, but it was still a financial letdown initially. Halloween II, which came out later in 1981, fared somewhat better, as did An American Werewolf in London.
In comparison to Wolfen, Scanners, The Howling, and Omen III: The Final Conflict, Friday the 13th Part 2 earned more money at the box office, but it wasn’t a hit financially when it was first released. Halloween II, which came out later in 1981, made a bit more, as did An American Werewolf in London.
To put it simply, although Friday the 13th Part 2 didn’t quite reach the earnings of the first movie, it’s important to note that it still earned an impressive amount, making 17 times its budget. In reality, it could be said that the film only fell short in comparison to the original because it made roughly half as much money. However, when we consider it objectively, Friday the 13th Part 2 was a substantial financial success for Paramount Pictures.
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5) Friday the 13th (2009) — $97.2 Million
Had it maintained its strong box office performance following its impressive debut during the opening weekend of 2009, the Friday the 13th movie could potentially have ranked as the highest-grossing film in the franchise. However, to put it bluntly, it experienced a steep decline after its initial three days, with the actual drop occurring over its first two days. In those first two days, it amassed approximately half of its domestic earnings, plunging an astonishing 80% during its second weekend.
In summary, the 2009 film “Friday the 13th” earned nearly five times its production cost. Despite this, it’s not among the most financially successful films, especially when you consider that ticket prices were significantly higher in 2009 compared to the ’80s. However, it still ranks high among “Friday the 13th” films. Yet, it pales in comparison to “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” from 2003, another Platinum Dunes production directed by Marcus Nispel. That movie managed to gross $107.4 million, which is a staggering return on its $9.5 million budget.
4) Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter — $101.8 Million
While not quite matching the ticket sales of its immediate predecessor, the 1984 horror classic “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” remained a significant slasher event. A large part of this success can be attributed to fans anticipating more of the same, while another factor was the sense of finality suggested by its title.
1984 proved to be a tough battle at the box office, with The Final Chapter going head-to-head against films like Police Academy, Romancing the Stone, Terms of Endearment, and Splash. Despite not raking in the same amount as blockbusters like Beverly Hills Cop and Ghostbusters , it managed to outperform films such as Dune, Starman, The Last Starfighter, and Cannonball Run II.
3) Friday the 13th Part III — $122 Million
Despite adding an additional $1 million (equivalent to ’80s dollars) to its budget, Friday the 13th Part III managed to rake in a staggering 17 times its initial cost, much like its precursor, Friday the 13th Part 2. With an estimated 11 million tickets sold, this was yet another substantial profit for Paramount Pictures.
On Friday the 13th Part III, sales surpassed those of films like John Carpenter’s The Thing, Creepshow, The Road Warrior, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Blade Runner, Sophie’s Choice, and Tron. In essence, this means that the movie was successful enough to show that audience enthusiasm remained strong, indicating the potential for the series to continue for a while longer.
2) Freddy vs. Jason — $144.1 Million
In the ’90s, New Line Cinema struck out twice with “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday” and “Jason X”. To give credit where it’s due, their attempt at reviving Freddy Krueger, titled “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare”, also flopped. The reality was that in the 90s, audiences were burnt out on slasher films; a major hook was needed to attract viewers.
The clash between Freddy and Jason, akin to setting them in opposition, was nothing short of thrilling. With a budget of $30 million, slightly higher than typical for slasher movies but modest for a film that could be considered a genre milestone, it raked in an impressive $116.6 million globally. When adjusted for inflation, it still ranks among the top-earning entries in the Friday the 13th series (it holds the record for the highest-grossing of the A Nightmare on Elm Street films).
1) Friday the 13th (1980) — $154.8 Million
Typically in contemporary times, a horror film starts off with a strong opening, only to decline rapidly later on; however, this wasn’t always the case. Take the original Friday the 13th, for example. Sean S. Cunningham’s classic earned an impressive $5.8 million in 1980 (equivalent to approximately $22.6 million today). This is noteworthy because it outperformed the final earnings of He Knows You’re Alone and came close to that of Motel Hell.
However, despite expectations, Friday the 13th managed to maintain its popularity, resulting in a substantial $39.8 million earnings. This placed it among the top 18 films of the year. It even surpassed the box office successes of Dressed to Kill, Flash Gordon, The Elephant Man, and nearly matched that of Caddyshack.
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2025-06-13 16:11