Once again, Pennywise has climbed back out of the sewers and into our collective nightmares, with a scary sequel guaranteed to put you off going to any fairgrounds for the foreseeable.
With plenty more nasty surprises in store for The Losers’ Club, Stephen King fans have been queuing around the block to catch what is arguably the most eagerly anticipated horror sequel in modern cinematic history.
Now It Chapter 2 has proven itself to be a worthy successor to the original spine tingler, with its box office weekend figures floating way above competitors. No doubt all those involved will be doing joyful yet terrifying clown dances right about now.
Although not quite the monster hit of its predecessor – which remains the only horror movie ever to open with over $100 million – It Chapter 2 has more than distinguished itself as a classic its own right.
As reported by Box Office Mojo, the jumpy sequel has clawed in $91 million from US audiences over the course of its box office weekend. This puts it at a monolithic $85 million ahead of second place film, Angel Has Fallen.
Globally, It Chapter 2 sucked up $94 million across 75 markets; basking in the biggest horror opening of all time in 16 markets. This includes Russia, Norway, Finland, Argentina and the Netherlands.
Overall, the movie delivered a $185 million opening worldwide, giving it the second-highest opening weekend for a horror movie ever recorded. It is – of course – number one. Furthermore, It Chapter 2 has had the second biggest September opening weekend, eclipsed only by the first instalment.
It Chapter Two picks up 27 years after the events of the protagonists’ first encounter with the diabolical Pennywise, and draws from the second part of the infamously bone-chilling 1986 novel.
With the group now grown and living separate lives beyond the high school politics of Derry, the film takes on a different dynamic; albeit with the same strand of evil lurking beneath the Kingsian small town.
This second creepy clown outing certainly had a lot to live up to, given It ultimately raised the bar of 21st century horror back in 2017.
This new instalment admittedly hasn’t received quite the same levels of critical acclaim, currently sitting at 64 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes compared with It’s 86 per cent.
However, the movie has been praised for its reverential faithfulness to the book source as well as the near-perfect casting choices for the grown up characters. And it will still make you chuck your popcorn everywhere in sheer panic.
As the horror event of 2019, this is one not to be missed.
It Chapter Two is now available to watch in cinemas.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.