Horror Box Office Hit 'It' Tops Streaming Charts Ahead of Prequel Series Premiere

The 2017 horror sensation It rose to the top of HBO Max's global streaming charts ahead of its prequel series' release.

It: Welcome to Derry is coming to the streamer tonight at 9 p.m. ET/1 a.m. UK time, followed by subsequent episodes each week.

Before the fans sees Pennywise's return to his old stomping grounds, ScreenRant reported It became the fifth most-watched movie on HBO Max's global charts. It also floated to number four on the U.S. charts and in the top 10 for 39 different countries.

Grossing $704 million worldwide, the first of the two film adaptations of Stephen King's novel became the highest grossing horror film of all time, enough to warrant a prequel series.

The Prequel's Story

It: Welcome to Derry is set in 1950, 27 years before the events of the first film.

The show's summary on its IMDb page reads: 'In 1962, a couple with their son move to Derry, Maine just as a young boy disappears. With their arrival, very bad things begin to happen in the town.'

Actor Bill Skarsgard is reprising the role of the titular antagonist Pennywise, with director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti, who also worked on both of the film installments, returning as executive producers.

The HBO Max prequel is closely tied to the two films, staying consistent to the adaptations' adjusted timeline. In the source material, the 'Losers Club' are kids during the 1950s who grew up as adults in the 1980s, while in the films, they are kids in the 1980s who became adults in 2016.

What the Initial Reviews Are Saying

The expansion to It's cinematic lore was met with some mixed feedback from critics.

Bloody Disgusting's Meagan Navarro says the 'attempt to deepen the lore by digging further into the past and King's other literary works makes for a wildly uneven mashup of familiar retread and engaging remix of King's works.'

Paul Dailly from TV Fanatic comments that the show has 'impressive world-building.' However, its pacing drags the story down.

'The episodes are long, and at times, the narrative feels stretched thin. Ironically, there aren't enough subplots to justify the runtime, so a few sections drag when they should sprint,' he wrote.

Polygon's Isaac Rouse complimented the new show writing: 'Welcome to Derry pushes the scares even further than Andy Muschietti's recent It films, and the series sets this brutal new tone faster than audiences may expect.'

The Stars of the Show

Starring alongside Bill Skarsgard are Clara Stack (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lilly, Taylour Paige (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) as Charlotte, Jovan Adepo (Fences, 3 Body Problem) as Leroy, and Chris Chalk (Gotham, When They See Us) as Dick Hallorann.

Joining them as its fellow young leads are Miles Ekhardt, Amanda Christine, and Mikkal Karim Fidler.

With the success of the previous two films and Halloween season in full effect, this prequel seems to be all set to become a hit itself. The final verdict now lies with the viewers, as its eight-episode run begins tonight.