The Evil Dead - Commercial Release

Commercial Release

Because of a large promotional campaign, the film performed above expectations at the box office. It grossed a total of $2,400,000 worldwide, nearly eight times its production budget. In its first week of release, the film made £100,000 in the U.K., and quickly became that week's best-selling video release. It became the largest video seller in the country that year, out-grossing large-budget horror releases such as The Shining. The initial domestic gross was described as "disappointing." It opened in 15 theaters and grossed $108,000 in its opening weekend. Word of mouth later spread, and the film became a "sleeper hit", making over $600,000 domestically and nearly $2,000,000 overseas. Its impressive European performance was chalked up to its heavy promotion there and the more open-minded nature of audiences.

The film's release was met with controversy. Raimi made the film as gruesome as possible with no interest nor fear in censorship, which led to the film's X rating and being cited as a video nasty. Films labeled as a "video nasty" were often highly violent and disturbing films that were widely controversial, a title often held by pornographic films and other X-rated films. While The Evil Dead was not pornographic in nature, it was considered one of the most violent films of its time, and censors had issues with the film's content, which impacted some of its commercial potential. The film was called the "number one nasty", because while it was labeled as a video nasty, it also was the year's best-selling video release, and the most notorious film on the list. Writer Bruce Kawin described The Evil Dead as one of the most notorious splatter films of its day, along with Cannibal Holocaust and I Spit on Your Grave. The film was banned either theatrically or on video in some countries.