YOU FORGOT TO MENTION:
1. the previous month was the worst for the box office in over a decade.
I think
IT would still have phenomenal numbers (still $100M+ opening), even if there was a four-quadrant August film this year like GOTG in 2014 and SS in 2016. You had the viewing numbers for the teaser trailer match or exceed those for several big blockbusters right off the bat. Then you have the book's popularity and the 1990 miniseries. That's
Jurassic Park-esque levels of awareness.
IT finally proves, after several years of trial and error, that you can successfully open a blockbuster film
any month of the year -- provided you have the right date, film, and marketing strategy.
- No one thought March would be a viable blockbuster until
300 and
Alice in Wonderland rolled around. Then the
Fast & Furious franchise made its permanent perch in April beginning on 2009, remained at 2011 and went back to April in 2015 and 2017.
- GOTG and
Suicide Squad showed that August is a viable summer blockbuster month, even if kids go back to school midway through.
- January 2015 had a stunning nationwide expansion for
American Sniper, which played like a summer blockbuster.... $89M 3-day/$107M 4-day, with a final total of $350M domestic.
- February 2016 saw
Deadpool become Fox's highest opening film ever. Not as leggy as
Sniper, but $330M+ is still great numbers for early in the year.
But the lynchpin is the myth that "no one wants to see blockbusters in the fall, because kids are in school!"
Gravity and
The Martian had leggy October blockbuster runs, but
IT became the first $100M+ opening film for September. That is impressive, especially the week after Labor Day.
I see studios making notes. Not just mid-range horror films, or optioning more of King's work for features, but possibly blockbuster sequels that are blocked out of the prime spring, summer or holiday dates due to rivals booking the best ones years in advance.