It is surging on streaming ahead of the new prequel series. The first of the two-part adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel, the 2017 horror film takes place in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, and follows The Losers’ Club, a group of seven outcast kids who are terrorized by Pennywise the Clown, while also confronting their own inner fears along the way.

It‘s main cast includes Jaeden Lieberher, Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise the Clown, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Nicholas Hamilton, and Jackson Robert Scott. Additional cast members include Owen Teague, Logan Thompson, Jake Sim, Javier Botet, Tatum Lee, Steven Williams, Stephen Bogaert, Geoffrey Pounsett, Pip Dwyer, Ari Cohen, and Stuart Hughes.

Now, eight years after its original release, It ranks fifth on HBO Max’s Top 10 movies in the United States for today, September 30, where it has appeared for a total of 28 days. It ranks below Superman, Warfare, Friendship, Selena, and above The Sitter, Se7en, Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian, Salem’s Lot (2024), and The Cabin in the Woods.

What It’s Streaming Success Means For The Movie

It is surging on streaming as audiences are watching the movie in preparation for the upcoming prequel series, It: Welcome to Derry, premiering on HBO on October 26. Created by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs – who all previously worked on the It movies – the series is set in 1962 as a couple and their son relocate to Derry, Maine, coinciding with the disappearance of a young boy.

The upcoming prequel series, coupled with the movie’s resurgence on streaming, highlights how interest in It has remained high over the years. The movie made $704.2 million at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It also received rave reviews from critics, receiving an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations.

Our Take On It’s Streaming Success

While audiences are watching It (2017) in droves in preparation for the upcoming prequel series, It: Chapter Two (2019) is also required viewing and is available to stream on HBO Max. But curiously, it’s not in the Top 10. Perhaps audiences haven’t gotten around to watching the second chapter yet, though the good news is that they have plenty of time before the prequel series premieres on October 26.