Henceforth, September will officially go down as the “Month of IT,” because as the month comes to a close the Stephen King adaptation has dominated both the news and the box office. Last week the film passed THE EXORCIST to become the highest-grossing horror movie ever at the domestic box office, and now we can happily announce that the movie has officially defeated EXORCIST’s global haul to become the biggest horror at the worldwide box office. Hooray! Light the candles, unleash the balloons, call the clown – er – don’t do the last part.
According to current box office receipts, IT has amassed $500 million at the global box office (well, $499 million to be exact, but what's a couple of pennies?), blowing EXORCIST’s $441 million total out of the water. The massive global haul reflects the movie’s success overseas as well as stateside, as IT has become the biggest horror movie ever in countries like the U.K., Russia and Australia. This also comes on the heels of Warner Bros. announcement that IT: CHAPTER TWO will arrive September 6, 2019.
This comes after IT beat the movie’s $232 million total at the domestic box office last week, just one of several records the movie has beaten in the course of its run (largest horror opening; largest September opening, etc.). The movie still has some room left to grow, too, as it still has left to open in Italy, Germany and Japan.
This box office news may not seem like front page news, considering movies like SPIDER-MAN, WONDER WOMAN and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY make more money than IT in their sleep, but these numbers are shocking in the horror genre. Normally only a select audiences show out for films like this, but somehow IT has transcended the boundaries and entered the legit blockbuster territory. Watch out Marvel; wouldn't want to start losing box office races to clowns.
IT is in theaters now!