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'It' becomes highest-grossing U.S. horror film of all time

By Eric DuVall
The child-eating clown monster Pennywise is shown in a scene from the horror film "It." The Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema release became the highest-grossing horror movie in U.S. history this week. Image courtesy Warner Bros.
The child-eating clown monster Pennywise is shown in a scene from the horror film "It." The Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema release became the highest-grossing horror movie in U.S. history this week. Image courtesy Warner Bros.

Sept. 23 (UPI) -- 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.

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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.

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