Pennywise has caused pandemonium at the worldwide box office, and we mean that in the best possible way.
Little over a week has passed since New Line and Andy Muschietti’s horror rebirth scared up a record-shattering debut – $123 million domestic, for those keeping track – and we now have word that It, the first chapter in a two-part horror saga, is closing in on $400 million worldwide.
That’s a staggering cume for any September release, no less an R-rated horror pic with little-to-no big-name stars – unless you’re counting Fionn Wolfhard of Stranger Things. Indeed, since its initial launch on September 8th, It has shattered one box office record after another, becoming the highest-grossing Stephen King adaptation on home turf – The Green Mile was the previous record-holder with $136 million – while last week’s Tuesday ($11.4 million) and Wednesday ($7.9 million) hauls are the best for any horror movie ever released in the month of September. Ditto for Thursday, September 14th, when Muschietti’s revival pulled in a record $7.2 million domestically.
Suffice it to say, Pennywise the Dancing Clown has sunk its claws into the worldwide box office, and this past weekend It comfortably fended off competition from mother!, a relatively big release with Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem attached. The two pics earned $7.5 million (a career low for Lawrence) and $60 million, respectively. There’s also another record you can add to It‘s burgeoning collection: at $13.8 million strong, New Line’s so-hot-right-now thrill ride enjoyed the best opening for a horror pic in Mexico, and the third-highest for any Warner Bros. release in the territory.
Also of note, It Chapter 1 is now within touching distance of The Exorcist, which still stands as the highest-grossing R-rated horror film of all-time with $232.9 million domestic (not adjusted for inflation). In light of the second weekend, It is now floating north of $218.7 million, and one would assume that that number will only continue to climb over the coming days.
When pulled together, all of this eye-watering success means New Line’s masterplan, one that involves splitting Stephen King’s horror saga in two, now appears to be a shrewd piece of business. Expect It: Chapter 2 to haunt theaters sometime in 2019.
