Stephen King Reveals Why ‘IT’ Was a Massive Success

Stephen King’s IT has been a beloved novel for more than three decades, with a 1990 miniseries adaptation also gaining a passionate following. Audiences were excited for this year’s adaptation of the novel, yet not everyone anticipated it would go on to earn nearly $700 million worldwide. The author, however, knows exactly why the film became such a huge success.

“I think one of the things that really happened was that 1990 miniseries,” King told Entertainment Weekly. “A whole generation of kids between the ages of 8 and 14 were scared sh*tless by Tim Curry and when the new one came out it was a chance to revisit that particular experience in their childhood.”

While it couldn’t have been predicted, the author also cited some real-world terrors that aided in the film’s success.

“Then there was this weird viral bulge in stories about creepy clowns,” King noted. “That was in the press all over the place. So it was a number of different things. It was the right movie at the right time.”

Last year, Stranger Things debuted on Netflix and captured the attention of pop culture. One of the series’ biggest influences was Stephen King and his tales of kids battling the supernatural, which the author believes might have also helped prepare audiences for this year’s IT.

“I think that Stranger Things might’ve had something to do with it, but that’s kind of an incestuous thing because so much of Stranger Things reminds me of stuff that I’ve written,” King shared. “But I think that played a part. Obviously the idea of a bunch of kids fighting a supernatural terror just sort of appealed to people, and they saw a chance to root for the good guys, which doesn’t always happen in horror movies.”

The cumulative success of IT might have taken many by surprise, but King’s first viewing of a rough cut of the film a year ago made him realize it was going to be a hit.

“I knew when I saw it a year ago in Florida in a rough cut that it was going to be a hit, but I don’t think anybody knew it was going to be, you know, like $700 million dollars worldwide,” King confessed. “I had no idea of that, but it sold a lot of books, man. You know what they say: A rising tide lifts all boats.”

A sequel to IT will be landing in theaters on September 6, 2019. IT comes out on Blu-ray and DVD January 9, 2018.

[H/T Entertainment Weekly]