Every Box Office Record Broken by IT's Opening Weekend

Pennywise scares up a huge box office debut.

By Jonathon Dornbush

Following a low-grossing summer box office, Stephen King's IT started up the fall movie season with a massive opening weekend. And in doing so, the adaptation of King's novel set a number of new industry standards.

Pulling in an estimated $123 million, IT easily took the top spot at the box office this past weekend. And in doing so, it passed the following box office milestones in just three days of release:

• Biggest opening weekend in September (adjusted and unadjusted) — The previous record holder was Hotel Transylvania 2, which made $48.5 million in its debut in 2015
• Biggest opening Fall weekend (adjusted and unadjusted) — Gravity last set this record in 2013, with a $55.8 million opening weekend, less than half of IT's debut weekend total
• Biggest horror movie opening weekend — The previous largest debut for a horror film was 2011's Paranormal Activity 3, which made $52.6 million in its opening weekend in 2011
• Biggest opening weekend for a Stephen King adaptation — Unadjusted for inflation, 1408 was the previous record opening for a King-adapted film. That 2007 film made just $20.6 million in its opening weekend
• Second biggest opening weekend for an R-rated film — IT's debut weekend only trails Deadpool's record $132.4 million opening last year
• Widest R-rated openings — While not a box office total record, IT's success was undoubtedly helped by the film's wide availability. IT released in the largest number of theaters for an R-rated film — 4,103 domestically — surpassing Logan's record 4,073 theater opening earlier this year
• Unadjusted for inflation, IT's opening weekend makes it already the second-highest total earning King adaptation ever, behind The Green Mile, while adjusted for inflation it already ranks as the seventh-highest earning King film

With only one weekend down at the box office, IT is already also the 18th highest grossing film domestically of 2017, having opened to the third-highest debut weekend of the year, trailing behind Beauty and the Beast and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. IT's successful weekend was suggested by an impressive Thursday night preview box office haul, which also only trailed behind Beauty and the Beast and GotG Vol. 2's preview night showings for the year.

A sequel to IT has already begun to move forward with a writer on board for the film, and IGN has a primer on how the first film sets up IT: Chapter Two. And be sure to hear from Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgard on the movie's marketing strategy to only focus on the terrifying clown and never the actor behind IT.

For more on the first film, check out our IT review, listen to the latest episode of the IGN Movies Podcast for our full spoiler discussion about the film, check out nine films to watch after seeing IT, and find out from the filmmakers about how they delivered a scary Pennywise.

Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

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