It's massive response in North America, and even the entire West, had a certain regional factor.
Because what It revealed behind the scenes was a microcosm of the school bullying issue that every North American or Westerner had personally experienced since childhood, just cloaked in a "monster" veneer.
Confronting the monster was confronting the bullying.
Countless adult or adolescent Western viewers would resonate with it.
Let's look at online reviews.
"No denying, It in terms of horror is just... too terrifying."
"That scene where the clown in the sewer smiles at the kid asking for his paper boat, drooling, revealing layers of teeth... then biting off the kid's arm and dragging him into the endless dark sewer—I literally screamed in the theater."
"That scene was indeed scary. The director nailed the atmosphere: gloomy rain, empty streets, the kid's yellow raincoat, the pitch-black sewer, the grinning clown holding a red balloon—all exuding eerie vibe."
"My scariest scene was when the girl Beverly hears voices in the pipe, then countless hair strands spread out like tentacles from the sink, wrapping around her, pulling her, then blood sprays out, dyeing the entire bathroom red. But her dad notices nothing, washing his face as usual in the blood-red sink. God, that scene gave me nightmares all night."
"I actually thought that part was okay. My scariest was the projector malfunction, where the photo of the mother with windblown hair turns into the clown, slowly crawling out of the light and shadow."
"I think the scariest is the clown twisting and crawling out of the locker—I was terrified of spiders as a kid, and now my 'biggest fear' is the clown crawling like a spider."
"I don't think this movie should count as horror, even though it's really scary—it's more a coming-of-age film. The seven protagonists are all students, not campus stars, not even average; in the film, they have a heartbreaking nickname—the 'Losers' Club.'"
"The protagonist Bill stutters, haunted by his younger brother Georgie's disappearance since childhood; Eddie is overprotected by his mom, a germaphobe, terrified of the leper covered in bacteria; Mike's parents died in a fire, he fears burned skin; the Jewish boy Stanley fears the woman in a painting in his dad's study—he always feels that twisted-necked, distorted-featured woman is secretly watching him; the chubby kid Ben fears the Headless Horseman; Richie fears death... All this is actually the heaviest secret, the darkest fear in every child's heart. What they fear differs, but it can all be called the clown. Or rather, the clown can shapeshift into what kids fear most, appearing in their lives. The film shows the kids overcoming their inner fears—it's totally a coming-of-age trope."
"Whether it's a coming-of-age or horror film, my favorite scene is them jumping off the cliff into the river. Didn't expect Anna to have such a great figure when soaked."
"The guy above is right—It is essentially about growth. The so-called horror setup, in fact, is how to overcome fear, so it's PG-13."
...
It's blockbuster success was just another small gleam added to Martin's already dazzling crown of countless honors.
But it brought even greater pressure and urgency to Zack Snyder.
Though Martin never saw him as a rival, this guy persistently viewed Martin as the one he must defeat—god knows where all that drama in his head came from.
And our U.S. President, Mr. Trump, clearly knew how to ride the hype wave.
He had his team customize a poster for him: in a gloomy sewer, Trump replacing the clown.
Caption: "My enemies, I am your fear."
Trump, fresh off his triumphant inauguration, had turned from springtime elation to constant setbacks.
After Trump took office, the three major U.S. stock indices hit historic highs collectively—clearly, investors had strong confidence in his tax cut policies.
He also ousted Daniel Tarullo, the Fed governor who'd always opposed him.
Tarullo resigned from all his Fed positions in April that year.
Analysts pointed out that with Tarullo's departure, Trump would have the chance to nominate three governors, potentially influencing the Fed's future regulatory policies and monetary direction.
Trump also put a period on Obama healthcare.
Implemented immigration policies.
Was in a honeymoon phase with Russia.
Then, four months later, the situation took a sharp turn.
The Washington Post reported at month's end that Trump had discussed the "Islamic State" organization during his meeting with the Russian foreign minister—Lavrov.
The relevant intelligence came from a U.S. partner, but that country hadn't authorized sharing it with Russia.
The Washington Post cited anonymous U.S. officials saying Trump "shared more intelligence with the Russian ambassador than we share with allies."
The report said, "Trump went on to describe details of the 'Islamic State' threat using laptops on airplanes."
The report also noted that while discussing classified matters with non-allies is illegal for most, as U.S. President, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, so he's unlikely to be prosecuted.
Trump met Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on the 10th that month at the White House—this was the Russian foreign minister's first Washington visit in over three years, and the highest-level Russian official Trump had met since taking office.
And just before Lavrov's U.S. visit and meeting with Trump, Trump suddenly fired FBI Director James Comey.
As for why he fired this guy—logically, this Comey should be Trump's man, right?
This James Comey was introduced to Trump by Martin—though Martin had only lightly influenced him with magic, not thoroughly brainwashing him.
Because it wasn't worth it—Comey had too much dirt on him; he might get ousted any day.