IT ends this weekend, as IT Chapter Two concludes the 27-year saga that Stephen King’s famous novel takes place across. Though it’s only been roughly two years between installments, director Andy Muschietti’s sequel could make history in a pretty big way. If the success of 2017’s IT is any indication, there’s a possibility that IT Chapter Two could be the first $1 billion hit in the horror genre.
Although the sequel is projected to have a smaller opening weekend, it would be ridiculous to ignore the possibility of IT Chapter Two becoming a blockbusting hit. For the following reasons, it feels like The Losers Club could win big at the movies, bringing home a massive payday while ending a nightmarish saga.
The Gap Between IT Chapter Two And History Doesn’t Seem That Large
It might feel like $300 million is a pretty big gap between IT Chapter Two and history. And yet, when it comes to blockbuster movies, the needle can jump pretty high between sequels. Just look at the Captain America franchise; while there was an Avengers movie taking place in-between The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier, the solo series itself saw a jump in $343.7 million between the first and second installments.
As IT Chapter Two already has a huge following and a team of characters reuniting for fans to see again, it almost feels like the IT series is akin to an Avengers adventure in the horror realm. With the first film being a $700 million hit and the promise of a resolution to the entire saga in the air, IT Chapter Two could draw a lot of people that caught the film on home video and television into theaters for the grand finale.
Fans Have Been Anticipating IT Chapter Two For Some Time
IT was certainly a huge hit theatrically, with $700 million being earned against a $35 million budget. With a perfect storm assembling of the Stephen King source novel's legendary status, nostalgia for the 1990 miniseries and new horror fans latching onto Pennywise’s antics, IT Chapter Two has a following that feels even larger than it was when it began.
From the moment that the words “IT Chapter One” flashed on the screen, the second half of The Losers Club’s journey has been something hotly anticipated by anyone who had fun with that first ride through the haunted streets of Derry. And as we’ve seen in 2019, with Avengers: Endgame, the conclusion of a massive story that fans have been waiting to see is a particularly epic shoe to drop with a first film such as IT.
IT Chapter Two Has Already Broken Ticketing Service Records
The anticipation of fans waiting for IT Chapter Two has already seen some pretty impressive results as far as ticket sales are concerned. Already, both Atom Tickets and Fandango have reported that this particular movie has become the best-selling horror film for both of their individual sale platforms. Although, that’s not the only indicator for the film’s success to come from this particular data.
In terms of Fandango’s recent user polling, IT Chapter Two is currently the most anticipated film of fall 2019. Somehow, with a season that will see films like Joker, Frozen II and even Zombieland: Double Tap revealed to the world, IT’s sequel is the one that those surveyed have singled out as the next big thing. It’s something that bodes well, considering some of the other hits that this year has brought to the table.
Horror Has Been Doing Rather Well In 2019
Between box office hits like Us and Crawl, and movies like Ready or Not that have seen a critical groundswell as surprise delights, the world of horror has made itself quite a name in this calendar year. That particular flavor of film has been served well by its fans, and IT Chapter Two sounds like its coming onto the scene at just the right time to further feed that need.
While the success of horror films has been mostly in the way of smaller scale films scoring modest to impressive returns, Us has proven that with the right level of anticipation, the usual stumbling blocks of an R-rating horror movie can be readily overcome. Just as that film had the factor of Jordan Peele's sophomore effort as a director pushing its prospects, IT Chapter Two has Andy Muschietti's directorial hand guiding a story pulled from Stephen King's library. That double threat could be something quite potent at the right time of year.
This Fall Is Pretty Light On Horror Options
The key to record-breaking successes is the ability to maintain a lengthy run of solid success. While huge opening weekends are good powder kegs to get the fires burning, it’s the long game that sees a movie continually earning its keep. In that respect, the following weeks of release need to have little to no competition that stands in the way. And from the looks of it, September and October look clear enough for IT Chapter Two to cruise through into glory.
From an overall standpoint, the two big films that would act as hurdles would be the potentially huge results from Rambo: Last Blood and Joker. However, by time both of those films are released, IT Chapter Two will have been in theaters for two weeks, with only The Goldfinch and Hustlers being the new products in competition.
The real big balloon in Pennywise’s bouquet of blood is the fact that in the month of October, there’s not a lot of horror movies to speak of in wide release. The most comparable films in terms of the horror/thriller genres would be not only Warner Bros’ own Joker, but also Zombieland: Double Tap. Both films ride the borders of genre, but IT Chapter Two stands out as as the only purely horror fueled wide release in theaters when the Halloween season comes to call.
With all of the factors listed above, IT Chapter Two could be a pretty huge hit that’ll put horror in the history books. Though reviews have seemed to have labeled the film as a bit of a diminishing return, that’s never stopped fans from lining up to see the truth for themselves. All signs seem to be pointing towards just that, with the only remaining obstacle between us and the potential result being time.
IT Chapter Two is set to be released in early showings on Thursday, with Friday being the full on release date. So as early as the end of this week, we’ll see whether or not Stephen King’s tale of a coming-of-age rivalry between the children who grew up and the evil that still wishes to claim them.
