Despite an uneven summer at the box office, there have been a few surprise hits along the way. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the overwhelming response to the latest adaptation of Stephen King’s IT, which managed to combine genuine terror, nostalgia, and dark humor into a film that was popular with critics and viewers alike. Smashing box office records since its initial release, IT has officially reached a milestone at the box office that no other horror film has managed.
In a new report from Variety, IT has earned $500 million at the worldwide box office, floating past the 44-year record held by The Exorcist. This is excellent news for Warner Brothers, and Sue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing and distribution, was quick to congratulate everyone who worked to make the film such a smash success.
“Crossing $500 million is rarified air for any film, but for a horror film it is history-making, and we could not be prouder. The filmmakers and cast did more than make a box office hit; they created a communal, must-see moviegoing event that has reverberated around the globe and is still going strong. We congratulate Andy Muschietti, the extraordinary producing team, and everyone involved in ‘It’ on reaching this amazing milestone.”
A sequel for IT has already been greenlit, but this success probably means that we’ll be getting an expanded universe into perpetuity. Dancing Pennywise memes for everyone!
(Via Variety)
