Hollywood summer box office has unlikely saviour in the form of It

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Following reports that the 2017 box office is set to be cinema's lowest-performing since 2007, an unlikely saviour has appeared in the form of Pennywise, the murderous clown from upcoming horror film It. The Stephen King adaptation may be a matter of weeks away, but - according to Variety - initial box office tracking suggests that the film is on course to earn over $50 million - a staggering number typically earned by family-friendly franchise films released in the middle of blockbuster season. The news is even more surprising considering its status as a R-rated horror directed by a relative unknown - Andrés Muschietti - which reportedly “doesn't hold back in any aspect.” Excitement surrounding It - which stars Bill Skarsgård in the title role - has been in full force since the first trailer which attracted over 197 million views in its first day of release. The summer box office has been plagued with select flops including Baywatch, Transformers: The Last Knight and Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword which a David Beckham cameo couldn't even save.