Almost three decades since the Stephen King miniseries “It” appeared on ABC, a movie “It” has taken hold in Warren County.
The movie released Thursday night is a remake of the miniseries that aired on ABC over two nights in November 1990. It was considered a network success, attracting 30 million viewers during its premiere.
In the movie and miniseries, both based on King’s book, a monster takes the shape of a clown called Pennywise. One scene depicts the vicious clown attempting to lure a child into an underground drainage system with a red balloon.
The scene has provoked an “It” reaction with red balloons being placed at storm water drains around the country and around McMinnville.
“I am constantly amazed at how otherwise reasonable people can get caught up in the moment coupled with a social media hysteria,” said McMinnville Police Chief Bryan Denton. “This is someone feeding off the latest movie trailer. As I have said in the past, my advice is get your news from the Southern Standard and local radio, not Facebook.”
While the balloons do not signify a homicidal clown is lurking under the streets of the city, they could help threaten a box office record. Much like the miniseries did in 1990, the movie is projected to draw in the viewers. The horror movie, which cost $35 million to produce, is projected to gross $70 million in domestic ticket sales Friday through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada.
According to Box Office Mojo, the biggest R-rated horror opening of all time is $58 million from “Hannibal” in 2002. The biggest September opening ever is $48.5 million from “Hotel Transylvania 2.”