'It' floats away with record-breaking $117.2 million weekend

LOS ANGELES -- "It" is a hit.

The Stephen King adaptation from New Line and Warner Bros. shattered records over the weekend, earning $117.2 million from 4,103 locations according to studio estimates Sunday.

Not only is "It" the largest opening for a horror movie and the largest September opening of all time, the film more than doubled the earnings of previous record holders.

Before this weekend, "Paranormal Activity 3" had the biggest horror opening with $52.6 million from 2011, and the highest September debut was "Hotel Transylvania 2's" $48.5 million in 2015.

"We blew past everyone's most optimistic and aggressive projections, and I think there might be room for us to grow this weekend even still," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution.

Regardless of whether there is an uptick when final numbers are reported today, the success of "It" is astounding, especially considering the project from director Andy Muschietti cost only $35 million to produce.

Critics and audiences were on the same page, too. The film has a fresh 86 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, and audiences, who were 65 percent over age 25, gave "It" a B+ CinemaScore.

Starring Bill Skarsgard as the homicidal clown Pennywise, "It" is the first of a planned two-part series. The second is slated to come out in the fall of 2019.

Next week, Paramount debuts Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror "mother!" starring Jennifer Lawrence, which could benefit from the glow of "It" or get dragged down with the rest of the competition.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.

1. "It," $117.2 million ($62 million international).

2. "Home Again," $9 million ($955,000 international).

3. "The Hitman's Bodyguard," $4.9 million ($7.9 million international).

4. "Annabelle: Creation," $4 million ($8.6 million international).

5. "Wind River," $3.2 million ($1.2 million international).

6. "Leap!" $2.5 million.

7. "Spider-Man: Homecoming," $2 million ($71.8 million international).

8. "Dunkirk," $2 million ($13.5 million international).

9. "Logan Lucky," $1.8 million ($1.7 million international).

10. "The Emoji Movie," $1.1 million ($5.7 million international).