“It: Chapter Two” opened with $91 million from North American ticket sales.
Based on Stephen King's novel, “It: Chapter Two” is now the second-highest opening for a horror film. The first installation set a record $123.4 million in September 2017. "It: Chapter Two,” the only major release of Warner Bros., is also the highest opening in the month of September. The movies were directed by Argentine filmmaker Andy Muschietti.
"How many movies open to $91 million? That was lightning in a bottle…You don't get lightning in a bottle twice. You get close, though,” says Jeff Goldstein, who is in charge of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. He describes the debut "sensational" and claims that he is not concerned that "Chapter Two" did not reach the same level of success that the first one did.
The production cost of the sequel is said to be around $79.5 million. The film stars James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader, whose characters are labeled as “losers” in the film. The second chapter revolves on bringing them back to Derry 27 years later to end the iniquities of the clown named Pennywise.
“It: Chapter Two” received mixed reviews, with 86% positive vs. 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. The reaction of the audiences was consistent as both films got a B-plus grade on CinemaScore.
"Andy Muschietti does an incredible job of scaring the stuffing out of audiences," Goldstein says.
"It: Chapter Two," like its predecessor, could experience "incredibly long playability," according to Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. He claims that most horror films in these times tend to drop off significantly after opening weekend.
"It: Chapter Two" is considered a big accomplishment for Warner Bros. after not having the same results with "The Kitchen" and "Shaft." Some of the films it has yet to release are"Joker" and another King adaptation, "Doctor Sleep.”
