Continuing its torrid pace at the box office, It, the adaptation of Stephen King’s novel about a child-eating clown, is now the highest-grossing horror movie in U.S. history.
The film overtook the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist on the U.S. box office list this week.
The distinction comes with a few asterisks. The Exorcist is still the highest-grossing horror movie when factoring in global box office revenue, and the list does not factor in the inflated cost of movie tickets in 2017, compared to the cost of a ticket in 1973.
Still, the Warner Bros. and New Line production has hauled in a whopping $236.3 million in the United States in just two weeks, making it the highest-grossing September movie release of all time. It cost an economical $35 million to make.
Forbes estimated It could wind up topping $313 million in domestic box office receipts by the end of its run.
If those predictions hold, It would overtake The Exorcist for the top international gross for an R-rated horror film. The film trails the record by about $40 million entering its third weekend in wide release. Given the response so far, theater owners are likely to keep the film playing through the run-up to Halloween next month.
By Eric DuVall
