The adaptation of Stephen King’s IT has shot to the top of the box office in Australia and New Zealand, soaring to the #1 grossing horror opening weekend film of all-time in both countries.
The mammoth $7.47 million at the Australian box office, more than doubling the opening weekend of the The Conjuring (2016) on $3.52 million. Our question is: how much was spent on red balloons in the viral marketing campaign around Sydney?
The figure actually surpasses local opening weekends for DC tentpole Wonder Woman ($6.78 million) and the Christopher Nolan directed Dunkirk ($6 million). It’s the biggest all-time September weekend in Australia, and sits at #2 behind Charlie & the Chocolate Factory‘s $1.29 million in New Zealand.
The film did very well for itself in the US as well, earning an estimated $117.2 million from 4,103 theaters in its North American box-office debut over the weekend.
Director Andy Muschietti’s film adapts part of King’s novel, with a ‘Chapter 2’ promised in the near future. Following the death of his younger brother Georgie, in a scene full of textbook fidelity, ‘Stuttering’ Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) and his new friends are drawn together to fight the growing evil beneath the town of Derry, one who manifests in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård).
In our 4-star review for the film, we said that it’s a “spiritually faithful adaptation of one of Stephen King’s most beloved terrors, this superior horror film brings the town of Derry to life and sets us up for even more scares to come.”
This is potentially good news for Australian fans who have grown used to receiving horror films late, direct or video, or not at all.
