Films based on Stephen King stories often score big at the box office, but if the anticipated box office numbers for the latest adaptation of his epic novel It come true, then the film will end up with the biggest September opening weekend ever.
While the actual release of It is still weeks away and tickets aren’t yet on sale, studios will often do advanced research at movie theaters to gauge both awareness of a film and likelihood of whether or not patrons surveyed will go see the movie. The numbers are far from guaranteed, but research is putting It at opening in the $50 million range.
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The previous record-holder for biggest opening weekend in September is Hotel Transylvania 2, which earned $48 million in its first weekend.
As we get closer to the film being released, it’s possible that this number could fluctuate in either direction, but rarely does a film open to numbers that are vastly different from what it’s tracking.
One stumbling block that It might run into opening weekend is that it’s an R-rated horror film, which automatically limits the ages that can be admitted. Whereas Hotel Transylvania 2 was family-friendly, you might want to leave the family behind to see the story of a clown who kills kids.
A recent update to its release strategy, however, is that It will receive a run in IMAX theaters, so depending on how many theaters across the country honor the IMAX engagement, the steeper ticket prices can factor into box office performance.
The storyline revolves around a group of young kids in Derry, Maine who come face-to-face with their worst fears when they square off against an evil clown named Pennywise, whose history of murder and violence dates back for centuries. The cast of IT includes: Bill Skarsgård, Javier Botet, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs, Wyatt Oleff, Nicholas Hamilton, Owen Teague and Logan Thompson.
When the first trailer for the film debuted, it became the most viewed trailer in a single day, scoring nearly 200 million views in 24 hours.
Fans will get to decide for themselves if the film lives up to expectations when it hits theaters on September 8.
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