It (titled onscreen as It Chapter One) is a 2017 American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti and written by Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and Gary Dauberman.

[7][8] The film, set in Derry, Maine, tells the story of The Losers' Club (Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, and Jeremy Ray Taylor), a group of seven outcast children who are terrorized by the eponymous being which emerges from the sewer and appears in the form of Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Skarsgård), only to face their own personal demons in the process.

Development of the theatrical film adaptation of It began in March 2009 when Warner Bros. started discussing that they would be bringing it to the big screen, with David Kajganich planned to direct, before being replaced by Fukunaga in June 2012.

The following summer in June 1989, Bill and his friends Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak, and Stanley Uris run afoul of older bullies Henry Bowers, Belch Huggins, Patrick Hockstetter, and Victor Criss.

From Ben's research, they determine that It appears as their individual worst fears, awakening every 27 years to feed on the children of Derry before resuming hibernation, and moves about by using the sewer lines, which all lead to an old stone well hidden under an abandoned house on Neibolt Street.

The Losers descend into the sewers and find Pennywise's underground lair, which contains a mountain of decayed circus props and children's belongings, around which the bodies of It's child victims float in mid-air.

On June 7, 2012, The Hollywood Reporter had revealed that Cary Fukunaga was boarding the project as director and will co-write the script with Chase Palmer, while Roy Lee and Dan Lin are producing, as with Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Productions.

[7] On December 5, 2014, in an interview with Vulture, Dan Lin announced that the first film will be a coming-of-age story about the children tormented by It and the second will skip ahead in time as those same characters band together to continue the fight as adults.

Port Hope is the kind of place we all wish we had grown up in: long summers riding bicycles, walks by the lake, a lovely main street, charming homes with green lawns, warm people.

"[159] On July 12, 2017, Muschietti, in an interview with French magazine Mad Movies, spoke of when developing the R rated film, in which allowed him to go into very adult themes, which was championed from the people at New Line Cinema.

"[174] Production designer Mara LePere-Schloop went to Bangor, Maine, to scope out locations including the Thomas Hill Standpipe, the land running alongside the Kenduskeag Stream that in It is called The Barrens, it was confirmed on March 31, 2015, and the Waterworks on the Penobscot River.

[185] On July 18, 2016, production crews had arrived in Riverdale, Toronto,[186][187][188] with filming beginning at 450 Pape Ave, which is home to a circa 1902 heritage-designated building called Cranfield House, up until August 19, 2016.

Film editor Jason Ballantine spoke of the difference in pacing and rhythm that comes with horror in It, in which a story like this was broken up into individual encounters with Pennywise for each of the characters, thus requiring a particular approach.

[203] On August 16, 2016, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, costume designer Janie Bryant spoke of crafting Pennywise's form-fitting suit and the inspirations to which it drew upon involving a number of bygone times among them the Medieval, Renaissance, Elizabethan, and Victorian eras.

"[208][210] Bryant spoke of the two puffs off the shoulder, sleeves and again on the bloomers, with her desire to create an "organic, gourd or pumpkin kind of effect", which includes the peplum at the waist, the flared, skirt-like fabric blossoming from below his doublet.

"[221] Paré originally had wished that the sewers were composed of bricks, due to it being of more period-accuracy, however, the cost was deemed too great thus his team and himself decided to go with formed concrete which was constructed with a mixture of planks and plywood sheets.

"[252] Skarsgård explained that Pennywise's succinct shuffles, whilst attacking and lunging toward his targets, were inspired by his little brother, Ossian, to which he stated: "I don't know if you've seen kids run like this, but they move their arms way too fast, and it looks really, really funny.

[290][291][292] Beginning from July 11, 2016, Muschietti posted a variety of missing person posters of children within the Derry area, including Betty Ripsom, Richie Tozier, Paul Greenberg, Jonathan Chan, and Tania McGowan.

"[304] On March 9, 2017, Neha Aziz of SXSW announced that Muschietti is set to appear at a screening event titled, Face Your Fears, to share footage from It, while discussing his inspirations and influences.

"[320] Wired's Brian Raftery spoke most highly of the trailer, to which he stated, "The teaser's scariest moment features no gore or gotcha-ness; instead, it involves a misfiring slide-projector and a barely discernible clown-grin.

[323][324] In addition to dethroning The Fate of the Furious (2017), the trailer numbers surpassed previous records held by Beauty and the Beast (2017), Fifty Shades Darker (2017), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

[330][331][332] Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone felt snippet of the film "was initially similar to Stand By Me (1986), with the Losers' Club playfully bantering about "gray water" A series of scary images soon follow before the trailer ends on Pennywise doing unimaginable balloon tricks to lure a victim.

"[351] On August 11, 2017, a four-minute extended footage reel of It was attached to prints of Annabelle: Creation (2017), as part of It's marketing campaign, which included an introduction by Stephen King, one month before release.

[352][353][354] John Squires of Bloody Disgusting described Skarsgard as "commanding the screen as Pennywise, turning in a performance that's likely going to remind many of the next level believably of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008).

[359] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $293.7 million, accounting for production budgets, P&A, talent participation and other costs, against box office grosses and ancillary revenues from home media, placing it fifth on their list of 2017's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".

[371] Variety noted that the film's opening weekend could have been even greater if not for Hurricane Irma shutting down nearly 50% of Florida's theaters, a state that typically accounts for 5% of the country's box office grosses.

"[443] She praised the performances, cinematography, and production value, whilst speaking of Skarsgård as "chilling perfection", whose "manic energy and presence which brings a level of unease and intensity to proceedings that is just incredible.

"[446] San Francisco Chronicle's Peter Hartlaub granted the film a maximum score of four stars, stating that "Muschietti understands the Spielberg-ian rule, that creating a recognizable and convincing backdrop makes the supernatural thing in the foreground feel tangible and believable.

"[454] Tim Grierson of Screen International spoke highly of Claude Paré and Chung Chung-hoon's ability to "drape the horror scenes in a clammy atmosphere", without seeming too far removed from "the otherwise realistic portrayal of racism, sexual humiliation and bullying" of Muschetti's piece.

[457] Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune noted the film's "diminishing returns of one jump scare after another", writing that "nearly every scene begins and ends the same way, with a slow build leading up to a KAAA-WHUMMMMMM!!!!