If there was ever any doubt about the eternal appeal of nostalgia and how absolutely terrifying clowns are, “It” proved those doubts to be misguided. At the start of the year, few thought that the film, a relatively inexpensive adaptation of Stephen King’s seminal horror novel with a cast of almost exclusively newcomers, and from a filmmakers with only one feature behind him, to be a box office champion.
But then the trailer broke records when it debuted, and the buzz kept building, and the reviews were great, and now “It” is the biggest grossing horror movie of all time (not adjusted for inflation: “The Exorcist” is likely to hang on to that crown), with a nearly $300 million take domestic that’s still rising fast, and close to crossing the $500 million mark worldwide. To put that in perspective, that’s nearly as much money as “Dunkirk” has made, and more than “Cars 3” and “War For The Planet Of The Apes,” among others.
So it’s not surprising that Warner Bros are keen to move fast on a sequel (“It: Chapter Two,” as it’ll be known) and after hiring a writer a few weeks back, and director Andy Muschietti talking the project up, the studio (and their subsidiary New Line) have now set a firm release date of September 6th, 2019, just a sliver under two years after the first movie hit theaters.
Only a few weeks ago, it would have been thought certifiable for the sequel to a box office smash to be aiming for a release date in the first weekend after Labor Day, which is traditionally one of the quietest of the year. But having proven this month that a blockbuster can be a blockbuster whenever it opens, we’re not surprised that the studio are sticking with the same window, even if we had wondered if they’d be tempted to aim for a summer date.
Things are likely to move forward quickly on the movie, although casting is yet to be determined, beyond the return of Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise (and there are rumors of Jessica Chastain taking on the role of Bev). So yeah, if your nerves are still recovering from the first go round of “It,” “It: Chapter Two” is now just over 23 months away, so get preparing…