Warner Bros./New Line’s “It” has performed beyond box office analysts’ wildest dreams — or nightmares — posting an opening weekend of $117.1 million from 4,103 screens. That gives it the third-highest opening weekend of 2017 behind only “Beauty and the Beast” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and puts it just above the $117 million opening made by “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s famous novel will easily become the biggest opening for a film released in September or October and more than double the record set by “Hannibal” in 2001 for biggest horror movie opening. It also has the record for the biggest horror movie opening on IMAX screens, making $7 million from 370 locations, as well as the biggest overseas horror opening with $62 million from 46 markets and taking the genre record in markets like Australia, Brazil and the U.K.
“It” has become so big, it has come close to the record for the biggest opening for any R-rated film, which is currently held by “Deadpool” with $132.4 million. It is expected to fall short, however, because of theater closures in Houston and Florida due to the impact of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The closures are estimated by industry sources to account for a 5-6 percent drop in revenue.
Still, the success of “It” is some refreshing news for movie theaters, which haven’t had a movie with must-see status to screen since “Dunkirk” in mid-July. With no serious competition against it, “It” is estimated to account for around 75 percent of total revenue this weekend and has alone exceeded the $96.3 million made last weekend.
At the start of this past week, trackers expected “It” to make $60-65 million, which still would have made it the biggest September opening ever. But after positive reviews came in and gave the film an 88 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the projections were bumped to $80-90 million. After a Friday that saw “It” score the biggest preview numbers for an R-title and beat the September opening record in just one day, the hype and word-of-mouth for the film rolled from critics to audiences, who gave the film a B+ on CinemaScore. Strong social media activity took care of the rest.
In a very distant second is Open Road’s “Home Again,” making an estimated $8.7 million after pre-weekend projections had it making $10 million this weekend. The film has a B on CinemaScore and a 33 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Holdovers complete the top 5, with “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” making $4.8 million, “Annabelle: Creation” making $4 million and “Wind River” making $3.1 million. “Annabelle: Creation” is expected to cross the $100 million mark, continuing a strong streak for Warner Bros. going back to the release of “Wonder Woman” in June.
7 Biggest Fall Box Office Showdowns, Including 'Ninjago' vs 'Kingsman' (Photos)
"Thor: Ragnarok," "Justice League" and "Star Wars" will surely dominate the box office in the remaining months of 2017. But along with those would-be blockbusters are several smaller films competing for moviegoers' attention. Here are the seven head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
Sept. 15: “mother!” vs. “American Assassin”: If its trailer and NSFW poster are any indication, Darren Aronofsky’s horror show looks like its going to be as terrifying and unforgiving a movie as one can expect. While critical acclaim could give it a boost, “American Assassin” has more crowd pleasing elements with “Teen Wolf” star Dylan O’Brien in the lead, and a story based on Vince Flynn’s best-selling Mitch Rapp novels.
Sept. 22: "The Lego Ninjago Movie" vs. "Kingsman the Golden Circle": Like its "Lego Movie" predecessors, "Ninjago" should be a big draw for family audiences who haven't had a major film for them since "Despicable Me 3" and "The Emoji Movie." Facing it is the R-rated "Kingsman" sequel, which will aim to turn the cult following its predecessor earned into a strong opening.
Sept. 29:"Flatliners" vs. "American Made": After starring in the critically maligned "Mummy" remake this summer, Tom Cruise will star in "American Made," which tells the true story of an an airline pilot who becomes a drug smuggler and later a DEA informant. Facing it will be Columbia's "Flatliners," a sequel to the 1990 cult hit about experiments that induce near-death experiences.
Oct. 20: "Only the Brave" vs. "Geostorm" vs. "The Snowman" vs. "Boo! 2": A quartet of wild card releases hit theaters in the third weekend of October. The one that has the best shot of a strong opening is "Boo! 2," the latest film in Tyler Perry's popular "Madea" series. The first "Boo!" made $28.5 million in its opening weekend.
Oct. 27: "Jigsaw" vs. "Suburbicon": It was only a matter of time before the "Saw" franchise came back to play another game, but after "It," "mother!" and "Happy Death Day" hit theaters, will audiences come back for a fourth helping from an old franchise on Halloween weekend? Against it is Oscar contender "Suburbicon," which features -- get ready -- George Clooney directing Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac from a script co-written by the Coen Brothers.
Nov. 10: "Daddy's Home 2" vs. "Murder on Orient Express" vs. "Thor: Ragnarok": After posting the worst box office performance of his career with "The House," Will Ferrell will try to do better with a sequel to his 2015 collab with Mark Wahlberg. Kenneth Branagh's star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie's famous murder mystery novel will also release this weekend, but both could fall to "Thor: Ragnarok," which will be in its second weekend.
Dec. 22: Christmas Releases: Let's be real. All of these holiday weekend releases will be fighting for whatever scraps of moviegoers "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" leaves behind. But "Pitch Perfect 3," the final installment in Kay Cannon's hit musical comedy, has a real shot at a solid opening. Other movies in this group include an adaptation of the TV series "The Six Billion Dollar Man" and Oscar contender "Downsizing," which stars Matt Damon as a man who joins a growing group of people who shrink themselves and join miniature communities.
We know “Thor: Ragnarok” will dominate when it opens in November, but here are the most competitive weekends to watch
"Thor: Ragnarok," "Justice League" and "Star Wars" will surely dominate the box office in the remaining months of 2017. But along with those would-be blockbusters are several smaller films competing for moviegoers' attention. Here are the seven head-to-head box office showdowns to look out for this fall.
