Weekend Actuals: ‘It’ Shatters Horror and September Opening Records w/ $123.4M; ‘Spider-Man’ Spends 10th Weekend in Top 10

Monday Update: No clowning around — horror adaptation It became one of the most unexpectedly high openings in film history with a $123.4 million debut.

That’s several million dollars above the already record-setting $117.1 million studio weekend estimate from Sunday, which stunned Hollywood enough as it was.

Fuller numbers and analysis are below, with the full table of box office actuals at bottom. Keep in mind — the final opening weekend number for Warner Bros.’ It came in even higher than the already-amazing number mentioned in our Sunday update below.


Sunday Update: Pennywise the evil clown indeed earned pennies — billions of them. Horror adaptation It debuted with an estimated $117.1 million, one of the most stunningly unexpected openings in Hollywood history.

It’s difficult to overstate just how spectacular and unforeseen this debut from Warner Bros. and New Line is. For context, it’s considered incredibly impressive if a horror movie — usually one of the lowest grossing genres — even earns $117 million in total. Prior to this weekend, a $117 million opening for a horror film was considered inconceivable.

The Boxoffice.com weekend projection of $81 million for It was among the more optimistic, as the Hollywood Reporter projected “$65 to $75 million,” while users on prediction website Box Office Theory guessed an average of $83 million with the highest prediction from any user being $101 million.

Among the records that It shatters:

  • Horror opening. The highest horror opening ever when adjusted for inflation had been 1994’s Interview with the Vampire with a modern-day $77.3 million. (And many genre purists would contend that was more of a “horror drama” than a pure horror film, increasing its potential audience.)
  • September opening. September had been one of only two months, along with October, without a film ever opening above $75 million when adjusted for inflation. The month’s record in dollars had been 2015’s Hotel Transylvania 2 with $48.6 million, while the inflation-adjusted record had been 1998’s Rush Hour with $62.5 million. It more than doubles the former and nearly doubles the latter, disproving the maxim that September is a dull period between the summer and holiday seasons when nothing makes money.
  • Stephen King film adaptation. Among the 41 — that’s right, 41 — movies based on Stephen King books, It not only claims by far the largest opening, but also seems a lock to become the highest earner in total. Even adjusting for inflation, it will almost certainly surpass the final gross of such classics as The Shawshank RedemptionThe ShiningThe Green Mile, and Misery.
  • By itself, It outgrossed the industry’s entire prior record for largest total post-Labor Day weekend.

This outcome was hardly guaranteed. It debuted a mere month after fellow Stephen King novel adaptation The Dark Tower sputtered, with a total unlikely to finish above $60 million. That was despite Dark Tower having a higher budget, a seemingly-better release date, more star power in the form of Matthew McConaughey, and being a fantasy action rather than a horror film.

This much-needed reversal spearheaeded by It arrives after this summer was by some measures the lowest-performing summer in decades. A mere two weekends ago was the lowest inflation-adjusted box office weekend since a post-9/11 weekend in September 2001. That seems like water under the bridge now.

How did this happen?

“It’s easy. You make a brilliant movie based on great source material, market it in a brilliant way, pick a brilliant date, and put it all together,” Warner Bros. President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein tells Boxoffice.com in an exclusive interview.

“There was something unique about our marketing. The combination of the red balloon, the really freaky look of Pennywise [the clown], all of that together,” Goldstein continues. “Theaters were fun to be in yesterday. It was a blast!”

How will It play out in weeks to come, given the simultaneous opposing forces of horror usually being so front-loaded while this film is generating unprecedented headlines, buzz, and word of mouth?

“I would have thought that trajectory would have shown itself on Friday after Thursday pre-shows, or on Saturday after Friday opening. But it didn’t,” Goldstein answers. “I was expecting a bigger drop Saturday, horror usually drops 30 percent then. But It only dropped 10 percent [from $51.0 million Friday to $45.6 million Saturday]. You look at that and say ‘Wow, it’s not playing like a typical horror movie.'”

This begs the question: could It become the highest grossing horror film ever? That depends on how exactly you define “horror,” a somewhat murky categorization — do The Sixth Sense or Jaws count? In pure dollars, It seems potentially on track to claim the horror record. Adjusted for inflation, though, it seems unlikely to beat the current horror record-holder, 1973’s The Exorcist which earned almost $1 billion in today’s dollars.

With It this weekend, Warner Bros. almost overtakes Disney to become the highest grossing studio domestically of 2017. In fact, Warner Bros. appears likely to surpass Disney for that crown on a weekday later this week. Disney has led continuously since March when Beauty and the Beast opened.

Warner Bros.’ run at the top will likely be short-lived, since most analysts expect Disney to retake the yearly lead in November and December on the strength of new Star WarsThor, and Pixar films. Still, this is a big win for Warner Bros., which has also released such hits this year as Dunkirk and The LEGO Batman Movie. (As well as some box office disappointments such as The House and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.)

The Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy Home Again started in second place with an estimated $9.0 million. The Open Road Films release came in about in line with pre-release expectations, and provided a nice bit of counterprogramming to the horror, action, and drama films comprising the rest of the weekend’s top five.

Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming spends its 10th weekend in the top 10, with a seventh place rank and an estimated $2.0 million.

Superhero movies in particular have a difficult time reaching that box office feat, since their traditionally high openings followed by steep falls usually prevent longevity milestones. Only two other superhero titles have reached 10 weekends in the top 10 during the past decade: The Dark Knight and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Spider-Man marks the fourth film to reach 10 weekends in the top 10 during 2017, along with Beauty and the BeastHidden Figures, and La La Land. This is the first year when four films have reached 10 weekends in the top 10 since 2001.

If Spider-Man holds on to that top tier next weekend as well, which seems likely considering it’s currently in 7th place (rather than 8th or 9th or 10th place), it will reach the even rarer club of “11 weekends in the top 10.” That would give 2017 its fourth film to reach 11 weekends in the top 10, which would be the most since five films did so in 1999.


Weekend Actuals for Friday, September 8 – Sunday, September 10, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 It (2017) $123,403,419 4,103 $30,076 $123,403,419 1 Warner Bros. / New Line
2 Home Again $8,567,881 2,940 $2,914 $8,567,881 1 Open Road
3 The Hitman’s Bodyguard $4,801,745 -54% 3,322 -48 $1,445 $64,848,752 4 Lionsgate / Summit
4 Annabelle: Creation $4,003,115 -47% 3,003 -355 $1,333 $96,270,125 5 Warner Bros. / New Line
5 Wind River $3,132,362 -50% 2,890 288 $1,084 $24,924,354 6 The Weinstein Company
6 Leap! $2,443,405 -50% 2,691 -14 $908 $15,817,841 3 The Weinstein Company
7 Spider-Man: Homecoming $2,006,749 -46% 1,657 -379 $1,211 $327,694,543 10 Sony / Columbia
8 Dunkirk $1,861,601 -57% 2,110 -642 $882 $183,021,880 8 Warner Bros.
9 Logan Lucky $1,669,875 -62% 2,167 -808 $771 $25,072,116 4 Bleeker Street
10 The Emoji Movie $1,138,516 -54% 1,450 -658 $785 $82,595,374 7 Sony / Columbia
11 Despicable Me 3 $933,240 -63% 1,274 -858 $733 $259,981,415 11 Universal
12 Girls Trip $819,855 -64% 1,123 -484 $730 $113,378,325 8 Universal
13 The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature $576,818 -73% 1,235 -1416 $467 $27,468,712 5 Open Road
14 The Glass Castle $533,828 -62% 1,037 -323 $515 $16,078,713 5 LionsgateLionsgate

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Dark Tower $757,159 -53% 948 -872 $799 $48,910,620 6 Sony / Columbia
2 Wonder Woman $660,442 -68% 961 -877 $687 $410,501,584 15 Warner Bros.
3 All Saints $465,035 -62% 834 -12 $558 $4,604,312 3 Sony Pictures
4 War for the Planet of the Apes $450,821 -59% 653 -388 $690 $145,329,526 9 Fox
5 The Big Sick $441,878 -69% 535 -735 $826 $41,990,772 12 Lionsgate
6 Baby Driver $422,548 -71% 618 -845 $684 $106,564,826 11 Sony / TriStar
7 Hazlo Como Hombre $388,910 -67% 382 0 $1,018 $2,035,761 2 Lionsgate / Pantelion
8 Birth Of The Dragon $345,065 -80% 702 -931 $492 $6,570,550 3 OTL Releasing
9 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (re-release) $309,268 -83% 787 -114 $393 $2,890,338 2 Sony
10 Cars 3 $298,795 -83% 510 -1935 $586 $152,042,304 13 Disney
11 Atomic Blonde $290,200 -67% 390 -351 $744 $51,041,470 7 Focus Features
12 Tulip Fever $287,717 -75% 772 7 $373 $1,937,937 2 Weinstein Company
13 Kidnap $210,411 -87% 918 -771 $229 $30,211,525 6 Aviron Pictures
14 Ingrid Goes West $148,724 -75% 200 -425 $744 $2,748,823 5 Neon
15 The Trip to Spain $111,664 -49% 132 2 $846 $762,005 5 IFC Films
16 Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets $106,947 -57% 229 -51 $467 $40,309,952 8 EuropaCorp/STXfilms
17 Menashe $97,226 -51% 117 -9 $831 $1,441,311 7 A24
18 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales $94,051 -52% 143 -43 $658 $172,447,788 16 Disney
19 47 Meters Down $67,033 -70% 149 -281 $450 $44,167,538 13 Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
20 Patti Cake$ $66,970 -73% 189 -106 $354 $721,466 4 Fox Searchlight
21 Captain Underpants $55,792 -57% 103 -41 $542 $73,754,420 15 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
22 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $53,202 -75% 129 -67 $412 $389,760,116 19 Disney
23 Detroit $52,566 -74% 151 -180 $348 $16,693,193 7 Annapurna Pictures

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Shubh Mangal Savdhan $128,422 -51% 80 0 $1,605 $511,875 2 Eros International
2 Viceroy’s House $125,683 161% 41 37 $3,065 $197,697 2 IFC Films
3 Columbus $76,254 -32% 36 7 $2,118 $512,109 6 Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship
4 It Comes At Night $75,591 459% 17 7 $4,447 $13,973,988 14 A24
5 Beach Rats $73,064 66% 34 26 $2,149 $208,919 3 Neon
6 Poster Boys $51,289 50 $1,026 $51,289 1 Sony Pictures Releasing International
7 Good Time $50,670 -84% 75 -560 $676 $1,862,111 5 A24
8 Dolores $48,646 259% 5 4 $9,729 $65,936 2 PBS Distribution
9 A Taxi Driver $42,546 -62% 21 -10 $2,026 $1,451,460 5 Well Go USA
10 Maudie $42,136 -49% 79 -27 $533 $6,016,063 13 Sony Pictures Classics
11 Wish Upon $40,671 -21% 55 -11 $739 $14,240,413 9 Broad Green Pictures
12 Rebel in the Rye $37,967 4 $9,492 $37,967 1 IFC Films
13 Crown Heights $30,047 -52% 91 37 $330 $206,561 4 IFC Films
14 Memoir of a Murderer $27,665 8 $3,458 $27,665 1 Well Go USA
15 Twenty Two $22,222 11 $2,020 $22,222 1 China Lion Film
16 Polina $21,149 1% 15 11 $1,410 $73,812 3 Oscilloscope Laboratories
17 Marjorie Prime $19,558 -26% 12 0 $1,630 $125,172 4 FilmRise Releasing
18 Gook $19,354 -56% 20 -7 $968 $222,191 4 Samuel Goldwyn Films
19 Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World $17,404 -16% 22 6 $791 $153,831 7 Kino Lorber
20 Step $15,910 -63% 24 -18 $663 $1,097,026 6 Fox Searchlight
21 Lost in Paris $15,765 -44% 17 -2 $927 $610,343 13 Oscilloscope Laboratories
22 Megan Leavey $14,142 -90% 62 -321 $228 $13,401,068 14 Bleeker Street
23 Wolf Warrior 2 $13,977 -73% 7 -17 $1,997 $2,697,367 7 The H Collective
24 The Unknown Girl $13,477 2 $6,739 $13,477 1 IFC Films
25 The Midwife $12,521 -53% 20 -1 $626 $536,837 8 Music Box Films
26 The Nile Hilton Incident $10,992 -4% 8 2 $1,374 $59,796 5 Strand Releasing
27 Napping Princess $10,865 14 $776 $10,865 1 GKIDS
28 The Only Living Boy In New York $10,391 -84% 23 -112 $452 $607,095 5 Roadside Attractions / Amazon Studios
29 The Teacher $8,836 -26% 4 -1 $2,209 $30,221 2 Film Movement
30 The Adventurers $8,754 -47% 4 0 $2,189 $192,763 4 Well Go USA
31 The Boss Baby $8,155 -26% 31 -59 $263 $174,975,585 24 Fox / DreamWorks Animation
32 The Hero $7,870 -49% 23 -16 $342 $4,067,628 14 The Orchard
33 Beatriz at Dinner $7,160 -6% 23 -1 $311 $7,064,057 14 Roadside Attractions
34 Brigsby Bear $6,658 -71% 25 -11 $266 $515,765 7 Sony Pictures Classics
35 A Ghost Story $6,527 -46% 15 0 $435 $1,579,405 10 A24
36 A Gentleman $6,357 -93% 17 -113 $374 $407,213 3 FIP
37 Lady Macbeth $6,069 -46% 23 -6 $264 $1,089,591 9 Roadside Attractions
38 Landline $5,435 -53% 14 -10 $388 $929,677 8 Magnolia Pictures
39 The Fencer $5,399 -63% 6 -1 $900 $71,673 8 CFI Releasing
40 Whose Streets? $5,156 -58% 15 -9 $344 $160,995 5 Magnolia Pictures
41 I Am The Blues $4,670 5394% 4 3 $1,168 $30,126 9 Film Movement
42 The Villainess $4,552 25% 3 0 $1,517 $17,868 3 Well Go USA Entertainment
43 13 Minutes $4,096 35% 8 2 $512 $155,897 11 Sony Pictures Classics
44 Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story $3,900 -28% 2 0 $1,950 $11,400 3 MVD Entertainment Group
45 Trophy $3,522 1 $3,522 $3,522 1 The Orchard
46 Le Trou $3,032 63% 1 0 $3,032 $30,973 11 Rialto Pictures
47 School Life $2,332 1 $2,332 $2,332 1 Magnolia
48 The Challenge $2,171 1 $2,171 $2,171 1 Kino Lorber
49 Company Town $2,150 1 $2,150 $2,150 1 First Run Features
50 We Love You, Sally Carmichael! $2,022 -63% 7 -4 $289 $23,723 6 Purdie Distribution
51 Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk $1,944 -36% 2 -1 $972 $46,688 7 Abramorama
52 Heat and Dust (2017 re-release) $1,939 -81% 2 -2 $970 $19,856 2 Cohen Media Group
53 Valley Of Bones $1,814 -98% 13 -287 $140 $166,552 2 Smith Global Media
54 The Ornithologist $1,674 -20% 1 0 $1,674 $50,511 12 Strand Releasing
55 Pop Aye $1,593 2 $797 $67,637 11 Kino Lorber
56 The Wound $998 1 $998 $26,591 4 Kino Lorber
57 Person to Person $964 -25% 2 -2 $482 $48,347 7 Magnolia Pictures
58 The Skyjacker’s Tale $935 1 $935 $3,723 11 Strand Releasing
59 Once Upon A Time $900 -85% 1 -4 $900 $484,953 5 Well Go USA Entertainment
60 Hidden Figures $755 2 $378 $169,379,801 38 Fox
61 The Untamed $635 32% 1 0 $635 $25,899 8 Strand Releasing
62 In Pursuit of Silence $618 61% 1 -1 $618 $20,757 12 Cinema Guild
63 Slack Bay $602 -45% 2 0 $301 $111,062 21 Kino Lorber Films
64 The Girl Without Hands $595 -54% 5 -1 $119 $18,999 8 GKIDS
65 Love, Kennedy $587 -85% 4 -6 $147 $395,897 15 Purdie Distribution
66 Sidemen: Long Road to Glory $537 -80% 1 -2 $537 $23,136 4 Abramorama
67 Served Like a Girl $485 -80% 1 -5 $485 $8,133 3 Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
68 Moka $373 -90% 1 -3 $373 $123,359 13 Film Movement
69 Paris Can Wait $284 -84% 3 -3 $95 $5,613,248 18 Sony Pictures Classics
70 Lemon $258 -92% 3 -6 $86 $24,791 4 Magnolia
71 Red Christmas $210 -57% 2 -1 $105 $1,178 3 Artsploitation
72 The Death of Louis XIV $186 1 $186 $43,635 24 Cinema Guild
73 Dawson City: Frozen Time $119 -89% 2 -1 $60 $117,918 14 Kino Lorber Films

Sunday’s Studio Weekend Estimates for Friday, September 8 – Sunday, September 10, 2017:

WIDE (1000+)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 It (2017) $117,150,000 4,103 $28,552 $117,150,000 1 Warner Bros. / New Line
2 Home Again $9,028,222 2,940 $3,071 $9,028,222 1 Open Road
3 The Hitman’s Bodyguard $4,850,000 -54% 3,322 -48 $1,460 $64,897,007 4 Lionsgate / Summit
4 Annabelle: Creation $4,000,000 -47% 3,003 -355 $1,332 $96,267,010 5 Warner Bros. / New Line
5 Wind River $3,210,200 -49% 2,890 288 $1,111 $25,002,192 6 The Weinstein Company
6 Leap! $2,500,100 -48% 2,691 -14 $929 $15,874,536 3 The Weinstein Company
7 Spider-Man: Homecoming $2,015,000 -45% 1,657 -379 $1,216 $327,702,794 10 Sony / Columbia
8 Dunkirk $1,950,000 -55% 2,110 -642 $924 $183,110,279 8 Warner Bros.
9 Logan Lucky $1,826,425 -59% 2,167 -808 $843 $25,228,666 4 Bleeker Street
10 The Emoji Movie $1,060,000 -57% 1,450 -658 $731 $82,516,858 7 Sony / Columbia
11 Despicable Me 3 $909,000 -64% 1,274 -858 $714 $259,957,175 11 Universal
12 Girls Trip $802,000 -65% 1,123 -484 $714 $113,360,470 8 Universal
13 The Nut Job 2: Nutty By Nature $546,018 -74% 1,235 -1416 $442 $27,437,912 5 Open Road
14 The Glass Castle $540,000 -62% 1,037 -323 $521 $16,084,885 5 LionsgateLionsgate

LIMITED (100 — 999)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 The Dark Tower $750,000 -53% 948 -872 $791 $48,903,461 6 Sony / Columbia
2 Wonder Woman $662,000 -68% 961 -877 $689 $410,503,142 15 Warner Bros.
3 The Big Sick $480,000 -67% 535 -735 $897 $42,028,894 12 Lionsgate
4 All Saints $465,000 -62% 834 -12 $558 $4,604,277 3 Sony Pictures
5 War for the Planet of the Apes $460,000 -59% 653 -388 $704 $145,338,705 9 Fox
6 Baby Driver $415,000 -72% 618 -845 $672 $106,557,278 11 Sony / TriStar
7 Hazlo Como Hombre $375,000 -68% 382 0 $982 $2,021,851 2 Lionsgate / Pantelion
8 Birth Of The Dragon $360,000 -79% 702 -931 $513 $6,585,485 3 OTL Releasing
9 Cars 3 $320,000 -82% 510 -1935 $627 $152,063,509 13 Disney
10 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (re-release) $300,000 -83% 787 -114 $381 $2,881,070 2 Sony
11 Tulip Fever $285,300 -75% 772 7 $370 $1,935,520 2 Weinstein Company
12 Atomic Blonde $274,000 -69% 390 -351 $703 $51,025,270 7 Focus Features
13 Kidnap $190,000 -88% 918 -771 $207 $30,191,114 6 Aviron Pictures
14 Ingrid Goes West $152,865 -75% 200 -425 $764 $2,752,964 5 Neon
15 The Trip to Spain $125,000 -43% 125 -5 $1,000 $773,718 5 IFC Films
16 Menashe $123,540 -38% 117 -9 $1,056 $1,467,625 7 A24
17 9/11 $120,500 398 $303 $120,500 1 Atlas Distribution
18 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales $98,000 -50% 143 -43 $685 $172,451,737 16 Disney
19 Patti Cake$ $68,000 -72% 189 -106 $360 $722,496 4 Fox Searchlight
20 47 Meters Down $63,600 -72% 149 -281 $427 $44,164,105 13 Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures
21 Detroit $53,000 -74% 151 -180 $351 $16,693,627 7 Annapurna Pictures
22 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 $52,000 -76% 129 -67 $403 $389,758,914 19 Disney

PLATFORM (1 — 99)

# TITLE WEEKEND LOCATIONS AVG. TOTAL WKS. DIST.
1 Viceroy’s House $148,461 208% 41 37 $3,621 $220,475 2 IFC Films
2 Columbus $90,702 -19% 36 7 $2,520 $526,557 6 Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship
3 Beach Rats $72,591 65% 34 26 $2,135 $208,446 3 Neon
4 Good Time $67,680 -79% 75 -560 $902 $1,879,121 5 A24
5 Dolores $53,610 296% 5 4 $10,722 $70,900 2 PBS Distribution
6 Rebel in the Rye $44,280 4 $11,070 $44,280 1 IFC Films
7 Maudie $43,894 -47% 79 -27 $556 $6,017,821 13 Sony Pictures Classics
8 Crown Heights $36,630 -41% 99 45 $370 $213,139 4 IFC Films
9 Polina $23,000 10% 15 11 $1,533 $75,663 3 Oscilloscope Laboratories
10 Marjorie Prime $22,000 -17% 12 0 $1,833 $127,614 4 FilmRise Releasing
11 Gook $20,385 -53% 20 -7 $1,019 $223,222 4 Samuel Goldwyn Films
12 Twenty Two $20,000 11 $1,818 $20,000 1 China Lion Film
13 The Little Hours $15,320 13 $1,178 $1,623,366 11 Gunpowder & Sky
14 Lost in Paris $15,000 -47% 17 -2 $882 $609,578 13 Oscilloscope Laboratories
15 The Only Living Boy In New York $12,360 -81% 23 -112 $537 $609,064 5 Roadside Attractions / Amazon Studios
16 The Hero $11,739 -24% 29 -10 $405 $4,071,497 14 The Orchard
17 Beside Bowie: The Mick Ronson Story $3,800 -30% 2 0 $1,900 $3,800 3 MVD Entertainment Group
18 Trophy $3,474 1 $3,474 $3,474 1 The Orchard
19 We Love You, Sally Carmichael! $2,044 -63% 7 -4 $292 $23,745 6 Purdie Distribution
20 Heat and Dust (2017 re-release) $1,944 -81% 2 -2 $972 $19,855 2 Cohen Media Group
21 Love, Kennedy $617 -84% 4 -6 $154 $395,927 15 Purdie Distribution
22 Served Like a Girl $505 -79% 1 -5 $505 $8,153 3 Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures

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