IT, the latest big screen adaptation of a Stephen King novel, broke the highest-grossing horror record at the US box office over the weekend.
The movie, which stars Bill Skårsgard as Pennywise, an evil clown who terrorises a group of small town children, took more than double the previous record for a horror film’s opening weekend and eared $117.2m from 4,103 locations, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
Before the new record was set, 2011's Paranormal Activity 3 had the biggest horror opening with $52.6m from 2011.
The Guardian newspaper reports that IT's success was helped by a lack of other new releases over the weekend. Reese Witherspoon new romantic comedy Home Again took $9m a the UK box office.
In third place was The Hitman’s Bodyguard, with $4.9m, Annabelle: Creation took fourth with $4 million, and Wind River rounded out the top five with $3.2 million.
