In 2017 the new adaptation of Stephen King’s IT exploded past expectations to become the highest-grossing horror movie of all time with over $700 million at the global box office, becoming a phenomenon in the process. Needless to say, expectations have floated to sky-high levels for the sequel, IT: CHAPTER TWO, and so far the movie is off to its own impressive start by nabbing $10.5 million from Thursday night showings.
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The total comes in about $3 million less than the $13 million total from the first movie’s Thursday showings, which then went on to make $123 million over its opening weekend. Projections are currently a bit lower for the horror sequel, with current estimates going into the weekend placing it at anywhere between $85-$100 million, which while lower than the first would place it above other massive horror openings from movies like HALLOWEEN ($76 million) and US ($71 million).
The weekend is set to be the biggest since THE LION KING’s huge opening back in July, and will surely bring butts to the seats after what’s been a rather lackluster summer. August saw its fair share of modest hits with movies like SCARY STORIES, GOOD BOYS and ANGEL HAS FALLEN, with HOBBS & SHAW breaking out into over $100 million, but still coming in under expectation.
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The sequel takes place 27 years after the events of the original, with the now adults Losers’ Club – played by Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, James Ransone, Jay Ryan, Isaiah Mustafa and Andy Bean – come back to fight the evil Pennywise when he returns to their hometown of Derry, Maine. Bill Skarsgard returns as the vicious clown, while the young cast that made up the early Losers’ Club is also back for more.
While anticipation is high for the sequel it isn't expected to cross the $300 million domestic thresholds of its predecessor, and now so-so reviews could also result in a slight downturn at the box office. The first movie opened to rave reviews praising Skarsgard's Pennywise performance and for the movie's ability to balance horror and heart, but the sequel has gotten noticeably less favorable reviews so far, standing at a current 66% on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to the first movie's 86%), albeit with a solid 86% audience score.
Seeing it last night with a crowd, I don't think this movie will inspire as much love as the last one did, mostly because of its near-three hour runtime, mixed with the other issues. But the crowd I saw it with last night seemed to have enough fun, but whether that will translate into repeat viewings and strong word of mouth remains to be seen. That being said, it will probably trample the box office performances of many other horror movies by making some of that Marvel-level money, likely becoming one of the biggest horror movies ever.
IT: CHAPTER TWO is in theaters now!