It (2017 film)

It (titled onscreen as It Chapter One) is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman. It is the first of a two-part adaptation of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King, as well as the second adaptation following Tommy Lee Wallace's 1990 miniseries. Starring Jaeden Lieberher and Bill Skarsgård, the film was produced by New Line Cinema, KatzSmith Productions, Lin Pictures, and Vertigo Entertainment. Set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, the film tells the story of The Losers' Club, a group of seven outcast children who are terrorized by the eponymous being which emerges from the sewer in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Skarsgård), and face their own personal demons as the monster torments them. Development began in March 2009 by Warner Bros., with David Kajganich planned to direct, before being replaced by Fukunaga in June 2012. Fukunaga dropped out in May 2015 and was replaced by Muschietti in June. He drew inspiration from 1980s films including The Howling (1981), The Thing (1982), The Goonies (1985), Stand by Me (1986) and Near Dark (1987), and cited the influence of Steven Spielberg. The film was moved to New Line Cinema division in May 2014. Principal photography began in Toronto on June 27, 2016, and ended on September 21, 2016. It was filmed on locations in the Greater Toronto Area, including Port Hope, Oshawa, and Riverdale. Benjamin Wallfisch was hired in March 2017 to compose the musical score. It premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles, on September 5, 2017, and was released in the United States on September 8, in 2D and IMAX formats. A critical and commercial success, the film set box office records and grossed over $704 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing R-rated film at the time of its release, and grossed over $719 million through subsequent re-releases. Unadjusted for inflation, it became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, cinematography and musical score, and was called one of the best Stephen King adaptations. It received numerous awards and nominations, including a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie. It appeared on several critics' end-of-year lists. The second film, It Chapter Two, was released in 2019, covering the remainder of the book. A prequel television series, It: Welcome to Derry, premiered on HBO in 2025, with Skarsgård returning as Pennywise.