Here are 7 top-grossing religious films at the U.S. box office, adjusted for inflation.
When we say “religious films,” we aren’t necessarily talking about squeaky clean movies you can watch with the entire family. We’re talking about films that have a religious message, or reinforce religious beliefs. All of the following films happen to reflect a Judeo-Christian worldview, because those are the types of religious films are, per the box office receipts, the most successful with U.S. audiences.
Here we go.
But First
All of the following numbers are from Box Office Mojo, a terrific site we recommend. The adjusted figures are based on the estimated number of tickets sold, which allows for an apples-to-apples comparison of movies released years or decades apart. It’s one of the best ways to compare a film released in, say, 1939, with a movie released in 2026.
We’re going by the 2022 ticket price, because 2022 is the most recent year for which data is available. We checked, and no film released since 2022 would change what you’re about to read.
So with that out of the way, here are the top 10 religious movies ever at the U.S. domestic box office, adjusted for inflation.
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Anyone around in 2004 remembers the smashing success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, which awakened many to the modern box office potential of religious films.
Starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene, the film re-enacts Jesus’ torture and crucifixion in excruciating detail. It earned $370,782,930 at the box office, which is $546,199,412 adjusted for inflation, and reflects sales of about 59,704,800 tickets.
Gibson is returning to Biblical epics with the upcoming The Resurrection of the Christ, which a publicist for the film recently described to us, in an email, as “a follow up” and “not a sequel” to The Passion of the Christ.
The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)
Starring Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O’Malley and Ingrid Bergman as Sister Mary Benedict, The Bells of St. Mary’s has a very Catholic worldview, so it doesn’t explicitly endorse the existence of God or the idea that Jesus is the savior of humankind. Rather, it espouses Christlike values in a very Catholic setting.
The film is about a priest and a nun who have a good-natured rivalry and try to save their parochial school. Crosby revived the O’Malley character from the 1944 film Going My Way, which won him an Oscar.
The film earned $21,333,333, or $574,013,09 adjusted for inflation, which reflected about 62,745,100 seats sold.
It’s not on our list of Ingrid Bergman movies that are still a pleasure to watch, but maybe we need to fix that.
The Robe (1953)
One of several Biblical epics released to big screens in the 1950s, director Henry Koster’s The Robe follows Roman military tribune Marcellus Gallio (Richard Burton), who is responsible for overseeing the crucifixion of Jesus. He ultimately undergoes a dramatic transformation, represented by the garment in the title.
The film earned $36,000,000 at the box office, which is $598,799,584 adjusted and reflects sales of roughly 65,454,500 tickets.
It is also notable as the first film released with the widescreen process CineScope, a reflection of its epic ambitions.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1980)
We know, you’re skeptical about us calling Raiders of the Lost Ark a religious film, but stay with us.
First, it’s about the search for the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Ten Commandments (which will come up again later in the list.) But more significantly, the film climaxes in an incredible Deus ex machina (God in the machine) in which some supernatural force — which sure seems to be God — punishes the Nazis for their very bad decision to open the ark.
It earned $248,159,971 at the box office, or $810,024,538 adjusted, which reflects 88,543,400 tickets sold, included to our parents, who took us to see it at a drive-in. Thanks mom and dad!
It is, of course, the best Indiana Jones movie.
Ben-Hur (1959)
This beloved religious film was adapted from Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which has been called “the most influential Christian book written in the nineteenth century.”
It follows a Jewish prince, Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), who on a spiritual journey of faith, forgiveness, and redemption that runs parallel to the life and crucifixion of Jesus.
It earned $74,432,704, which is $896,965,723 adjusted for inflation, and reflects about 98,046,900 tickets sold. It was the second-most successful film of all time at the time of its release, behind Gone With the Wind.
Charlton Heston will turn up again on this list very soon.
The Exorcist (1973)
Again, if you don’t think The Exorcist is a religious movie, watch it again.
It’s the story of Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a priest undergoing a crisis of faith who does spiritual battle with the demon Pazuzu to save the innocent possessed child Regan (Linda Blair).
The film takes the position that God and demons are real, upholding a generally Christian worldview. Widely considered one of the most terrifying movies ever made — it is also one of the most acclaimed, becoming the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture.
It scared up $233 million at the box office, which is, adjusted, $1.04 billion. That reflects an estimated 110,559,200 tickets sold.
The Exorcist has unsurprisingly yielded many sequels, including 2023’s Exorcist: Believer. A new film, coming soon from director Mike Flanagan, will star Scarlett Johansson.
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Thou shalt not kill… except at the box office. The biggest Biblical epic of all, this Cecil B. DeMille epic tells the story of Moses (Charlton Heston), gaining a reverent audience. It sold an estimated 131 million tickets, which came to $65 million — or just under $1.3 billion in modern-day dollars.
The all-star cast also includes Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, Debra Paxton, and Edward G. Robinson.
Many, many other movies are covetous of its success.
Also, here are the top-grossing U.S. films overall, adjusted for inflation.
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Main image: Debra Paget as Lilia in The Ten Commandments, the top-grossing of all religious films at the U.S. box office, adjusted. Paramount
Editor’s Note: Corrects formatting.
