It’s safe to say that people have put aside their hatred of clowns (or rather have embraced new media to stoke that fear) and made IT a bonafide box office hit. Thanks to the memes and the possible viral campaigns, IT hit the box office hard and has continued to dominate in the weeks since its release. So far, Pennywise and the Losers Club have pulled $236.3 million domestically ($404.3 million internationally), launching them over a very important record.
As of this weekend, IT has officially surpassed The Exorcist as the highest grossing horror film of all time domestically. While The Exorcist still holds the international gross record (for now) at $441.3 million, IT has handily surpassed its stateside take of $232.9 million in just two weeks. With its strong holdover and excellent word of mouth, there’s no reason to think that it won’t take the international title as well.
Now, one can quibble with this competition, because there has been significant inflation in ticket price since The Exorcist‘s release in 1973 (and its two subsequent rereleases). That being said, that doesn’t make the news about IT any less encouraging. It was a very weak summer at the box office, but at least we’re wrapping up the season on a high note.
(Via Variety)
