'It,' terrorizing box-office rivals, sets horror-flick record

LOS ANGELES: Stephen King wrote “It.” Warner Bros. and New Line made “It.” And audiences seem to love “It.”

The new freaky-scary film by that title broke records over the weekend as the largest September opening and largest opening for an R-rated horror film in North American theaters, industry websites reported Sunday.

“It,” starring Bill Skarsgard as a creepy clown who terrorizes children in a sleepy Maine town, pulled in an estimated $117 million for the three-day weekend, website Exhibitor Relations reported. The movie, from Argentine director Andy Muschietti, comes amid one of the slowest cinematic summers in years — and likely would have done better but for the impact of Hurricane Irma on Florida moviegoers.

Coming in second — but left far back in the dust by “It” — was another new release, “Home Again” from Open Road Films, with a take of just $9 million. The romantic comedy has Reese Witherspoon unexpectedly finding herself living with three young men after a separation from her husband.

In third was a movie that had clung to a box-office lead for three straight weeks, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” from Lionsgate, which netted $4.9 million. The action comedy stars Ryan Reynolds as a bodyguard hired to protect a notorious hitman played by Samuel L. Jackson.

Next was another Warner Bros. horror film, “Annabelle: Creation,” which took in $4 million. It is part of the popular “Conjuring” series of movies.

And in fifth was “Wind River” from the Weinstein Co., at $3.2 million. It stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen as federal agents trying to solve a murder on an Indian reservation.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“Leap!” ($2.5 million)

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” ($2 million)

“Dunkirk” ($2 million)

“Logan Lucky” ($1.8 million)

“The Emoji Movie” ($1 million)