It came as no surprise that the killer clown “It: Chapter Two,” topped the box office weekend as it was the sole newcomer of the week. This is a success for Warner Bros. (distributor), not to mention theater owners as last weekend saw little action from a small group of movies that had been held over. Reviews weren’t as strong for the sequel as the original, but that didn’t keep audiences away. The sequel earned a 64 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes while the original received an 86.
Top 5 Stephen King Movies – from Redbox.com
1. Shawshank Redemption
2. The Green Mile
3. The Shining
4. It
5. Stand by Me
A robust audience turned out to catch “It: Chapter Two” in movie theaters this weekend, but not quite as big as the first.
Warner Bros. says Sunday that “It: Chapter Two,” the only major new release, earned an estimated $91 million from North American ticket sales in its first weekend from 4,570 screens.
Trailing only its predecessor that debuted to a record $123.4 million in September 2017, the launch of “It: Chapter Two” is the second highest opening for a horror film ever and the month of September, which before “It” was not a strong month for blockbusters. Both were directed by Argentine filmmaker Andy Muschietti.
Like the first movie, “It Chapter Two” was adapted from the Stephen King novel and directed by Andrés Muschietti. It is set 27 years after the events of the first film, with adult actors including James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader playing grown-up versions of characters from the original. They are reassembled in their hometown to address the return of the dangerous and mysterious Pennywise (Skarsgard).
Jeff Goldstein, who oversees domestic distribution for Warner Bros., called the debut “sensational” and isn’t concerned that “Chapter Two” didn’t hit the heights of the first.
“How many movies open to $91 million? That was lightning in a bottle,” Goldstein said. “You don’t get lightning in a bottle twice. You get close though.”
Based on Stephen King’s novel, “It: Chapter Two” brings the Losers Club back to Derry 27 years later to take on the demonic clown Pennywise, and stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and Bill Hader as a few of the adult “losers.” The sequel cost around $79.5 million to make. Reviews were a little more mixed than for the first — 86% versus 64% on Rotten Tomatoes — but audiences were consistent. Both films got a B+ CinemaScore.
“Andy Muschietti does an incredible job of scaring the stuffing out of audiences,” Goldstein said. “I think our team, starting with New Line in making this and our marketing team in bringing it to audiences around the globe, have hit the mark right on. They nailed it.”
Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted that, unlike most horror films which tend drop off significantly after opening weekend, “It: Chapter Two,” like its predecessor and some of the recent high quality horror films could have “incredibly long playability.”
“It: Chapter Two” is also a big win for Warner Bros., which had a few disappointments this summer with “The Kitchen” and “Shaft,” but also have a few films that could really take off, including “Joker,” out Oct. 4, and another King adaptation, “Doctor Sleep,” out Nov. 8.
The rest of the top 10 was populated by holdovers: “Angel Has Fallen” took a distant second with $6 million and “Good Boys” placed third with $5.4 million. In limited release, the documentary “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” performed well in its first weekend, grossing $115,500 from seven locations.
After a down summer for the industry as a whole and a year that is still running 6% down, “It: Chapter Two” is a promising start to the fall movie season, which runs from the day after Labor Day weekend through November.
“It’s really important to have a movie to get the momentum going,” Dergarabedian said.
North American Actual Box Office Totals
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “It: Chapter Two,” $91 million ($94 million international).
2. “Angel Has Fallen,” $5.9 million ($7.6 million international).
3. “Good Boys,” $5.5 million ($2.3 million international).
4. “The Lion King,” $4.3 million ($13.4 million international).
5. “Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw,” $3.8 million ($15.7 million international).
6. “Overcomer,” $3.7 million.
7. “Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” $2.34 million ($2.3 million international).
8. “Ready or Not,” $2.2 million ($2.3 million international).
9. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” $2.29 million ($701,000 international).
10. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” $2.2 million ($13 million)
Worldwide Actual Box Office Totals
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Comscore:
1. “It: Chapter Two,” $94 million.
2. “Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw,” $15.7 million.
3. “The Lion King,” $13.4 million.
4. “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood,” $13 million.
5. “Ne Zha,” $8.1 million.
6. “Angel Has Fallen,” $7.6 million.
7. “Toy Story 4,” $4.9 million.
8. “The Angry Birds Movie 2,” $4.4 million.
9. “Free Solo,” $3.3 million.
10. “2.0,” $2.6 million.
A Little Scooby Doo Factoid For You
Ever identify with a character in a movie? Of course! Now, what about a dog? Just like humans, they have quirks, traits and personalities all their own. And now, in honor of the ultimate movie dog Scooby Doo’s 50th birthday (Scooby Doo first aired on the small screen on Sept. 13, 1969), it’s time to find out which you’re most similar to. Inspired by Redbox’s list of top five favorite movie dogs (according to a poll of avid users), we provide a list of movie pooches and their personality type — Loyal and curious? Scooby. Adventurous and heroic? Sam in I Am Legend. Rambunctious and fun? Hooch. Ask yourself: Which one is your spirit animal.
Top 5 Movie Dogs
1. Scooby Doo in “Scooby Doo”
2. Hooch in “Turner and Hooch”
3. Marley in “Marley and Me”
4. Sam in “I Am Legend”
5. Bolt in “Bolt”