Yahoo Movies 'It' tops $500 million at worldwide box office
Horror blockbuster It has turned into a box-office monster, crossing the $500 million milestone in worldwide grosses — making it officially the top horror film of all time.
Warner Bros. announced Thursday that It has eclipsed the 44-year record belonging to The Exorcist as the top grosser among horror films with $441 million. The studio noted that record for The Exorcist had been one of the longest-held records in cinema history.
It scored the biggest opening weekend ever for a horror film in more than 30 markets, including the U.K., Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. In 17 of those territories, including the U.K., Russia, and Australia, It has already become the top-grossing horror film of all time. The film has plenty of gas in the tank, too, as it has yet to open in Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Domestically, It currently stands at $273 million at the U.S. box office.
“Crossing $500 million is rarified air for any film, but for a horror film it is history-making, and we could not be prouder,” said Sue Kroll, president of worldwide marketing and distribution at Warner Bros.
“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,” she added. “We congratulate Andy Muschietti, the extraordinary producing team, and everyone involved in ‘It’ on reaching this amazing milestone.”
New Line and Warner Bros. have set the It sequel for release on Sept. 6, 2019. The studio had revealed earlier this month that Gary Dauberman was working on the script.
Muschietti, who directed It, is expected to return for the second installment. Producers Barbara Muschietti, Roy Lee, Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith, and David Katzenberg are believed to be back as well.
Stephen King’s 1986 novel focuses on a group of friends in a fictional Maine community that battles the small town’s demon as kids, and then again as adults. The blockbuster movie, which opened Sept. 8, centers on the children, while the upcoming film will follow them into adulthood.
The R-rated pic has brought a surge in moviegoing after a dismal August. Made for about $35 million, It stars Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise, along with Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, Jaeden Lieberher, and Jackson Robert Scott.
Watch: There will be an It director's cut, filmmaker says
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