Pennywise is dollar rich.
IT pulled a truly staggering estimated $123.1 million into its dark sewers and, ironically, breathed a little life into a moribund the box office. The R-rated horror flick (based on the bestselling novel by Stephen King) also notched a few records on its bloody board: It (IT?) scared up the highest horror debut ever, the highest September opening ever, and the highest autumnal opening ever.
You’d think that’d be enough for the quaint hamlet of Derry to put some more secure grates over its sewer drains, but fat chance of that: IT, Chapter 2 is on its way.
IT accounted for 75% of the box office’s receipts this week, according to Box Office Mojo. In fact, the horror flick earned more than 12 times that of second-place Home Again. That’s a little like Michael Phelps winning the 200-meter butterfly before the runner-up has even hit the water. Still, the Reese Witherspoon romcom banked $9 million in its debut to settle for its distant silver medal.
Last week’s winner, The Hitman’s Bodyguard, slid to third with a $4.9 million weekend, bringing its total haul to a not-horrible $64.9 million. Meanwhile, another horror flick, Annabelle: Creation, terrorized moviegoers for another $4 million. Creation has now earned $96.3 million, making it the year’s third-highest-grossing horror film (behind Get Out and, of course, IT).
Wind River closed out the top five with $3.2 million.
Meanwhile, far, far, far down the roster, we find another new release, 9/11. It earned just $120,500 in 425 theaters. That’s an average of $284 per theater, not counting popcorn. That’s right, people: We not only watch movies so that you don’t have to, we watch movies that the movie’s makers themselves don’t want to see. Now, that’s scary.
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