Before It premiered, quite a few media outlets predicted the film's box office wouldn't be bad.
After all, Martin was always a success.
But no one anticipated the box office would explode like this.
In just under thirty hours, including Thursday previews, It raked in 22 million USD in North America.
On Friday, the film officially opened in 4,103 North American theaters, pulling in 61 million USD including previews on its first day—recouping costs in a single day.
Saturday brought in another 49.65 million USD.
Sunday, 28.5 million USD.
The opening weekend three-day gross was 139 million USD.
This shattered the North American opening weekend record for horror films set by Get Out.
It surpassed the July box office record of 117 million USD set by Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The film also debuted in 46 international markets, grossing 68 million USD over three days, for a global opening weekend exceeding 207 million USD.
With a production budget of just under 35 million USD, plus marketing and distribution costs not exceeding 50 million USD.
Incredibly terrifying net profit figures.
"Though this film has minor flaws, it's hard to deny it's an extremely successful masterpiece. Technically flawless, impeccable acting, incredibly powerful—Martin's secondary adaptation on the original foundation is remarkably successful and admirable. This is one of the best adaptations of Stephen King's works." —The Playlist review
"It is an extremely interesting and excellent film. While not artistically outstanding, it features more mature scare sequences and a well-crafted portrayal of camaraderie among children." —Arizona Republic review
"With the film choosing a group of young people as protagonists, the actors' performances greatly impact the overall quality—and this film doesn't falter at all." —Chicago Sun-Times review
"The film has no scenes that make viewers want to pause and recall how terrifying they are. Instead, these scenes fully convey the protagonists' fears and tension. The overall pacing, visual feel, and score are supremely beautiful and exquisite." —Collider review
"It has a strong 1980s retro style—not just in fashion and costumes, but even in crafting the horror vibe, with a distinct retro flavor. The film is released as PG-13, and the director unflinchingly displays scenes of abuse and teenagers' 'destructive injuries.' This will undoubtedly make many young movie fans squirm, but Stephen King's novels have always been beloved by audiences precisely for such elements." —The Hollywood Reporter review
The most attention-grabbing was still the lengthy review from Kevin Thomas, the famous film critic who rose to entertainment editor at the Los Angeles Times by championing Martin.
This lengthy review was published in the newspaper two weeks after the film's release, so it contained slight spoilers. In the article, he wrote:
"It is an extraordinary horror film. You could say it's a orthodox, retro horror film, as it includes every horror element viewers might imagine: supernatural phenomena, mysterious monsters, bloody scenes. But on the other hand, you could also say it's an extremely atypical horror film, because for the viewers and the seven protagonists, the true horror isn't the monster—it's the inner darkness brought by their own families and school lives."
"The story takes place in 1990, in Derry, Maine—a town formed by lumberjacks during America's expansion era, rural and peaceful, with one exception: the number of missing children and deaths in this small town is six times the national average..."
"Before watching, you wouldn't imagine how terrifying the movie is. In fact, watching this horror film in an IMAX theater was like putting my heart on a roller coaster. The booming sound combined with the director's meticulously crafted visuals filled the theater with continuous screams and gasps."
"Unlike the original It where 'It' had a quirky, cute, and shameless vibe amid the eerie, Martin's version of 'It' is pure, unadulterated evil without a trace of impurity."
"Red balloons, ferocious grins, sharp lip liner, eternally protruding buck teeth, a mouth constantly drooling, a head shedding fragments, overlapping teeth when devouring, and deep in the throat, dead..."
"Thanks to special effects, this clown performs twisted maneuvers far beyond his predecessors, like the most memorable scene: limbs contorted as he crawls out of the locker."
"What sets the film apart is that while it terrifies you, it also gives you the power to overcome fear."
"You know, every time you feel fear and hesitation, ask yourself: what exactly are you afraid of, and what do you want to achieve?"
"Facing fear, don't let the 'clown' control your heart again."
"I think that's what director Martin Meyers truly wants to convey."