Nobody could have predicted just how successful IT would turn out to be. Sure, it’s a marketable property based on a popular novel, but isn’t the killer clown thing just a little bit played out in 2017? Apparently not, because Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of (half of) Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel has to date grossed an astonishing $683 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing horror film of all-time and the second highest grossing R-rated film of all-time (after Deadpool). Not only was it a financial hit, then, but it was a critical darling, too, and is now regarded as one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever.
That’s why we’re pretty confident it’s going to do well on home video, and Warner Bros. has just given us the full details, telling us that IT will be available to own for streaming and download from December 19th, in HD and SD from digital retailers including Amazon, iTunes, PlayStation, Vudu, Xbox and others. Then, on January 9th, it’ll hit video on demand from cable and satellite providers.
January 9th also sees the release of *deep breath* the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and bog standard DVD release. For AV fanatics, the UHD release is the one to keep an eye out for here, boasting Dolby Vision HDR that will “dramatically expand the color palette and contrast range, and use dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen — frame by frame.” On top of that, the UHD and Blu-ray discs will get a Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed for the home experience.
As for special features, we’ll see the following;
- Pennywise Lives! – Discover how Bill Skarsgård prepared to portray the primordial creature known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown
- The Losers’ Club – Get up close and personal with the teenage stars of “IT” as they bond together during the production
- Author of Fear – Stephen King reveals the roots of his best-selling novel, the nature of childhood fear and how he created his most famous monster, Pennywise
- Deleted Scenes – Eleven deleted or extended scenes from the film
No word on an IT director’s commentary, unfortunately, but let’s keep our fingers crossed.
