It (2017): Cast, Plot, Release Date and Ending Explained
It (2017) is a supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, released in US theaters on September 8, 2017, with Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise and a runtime of 135 minutes. It is the first of the two IT movies, followed by It Chapter Two (2019), and it earned $719.8 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. The story opens in October 1988 in Derry, Maine, and follows seven outcast kids through the next summer, so if you are deciding where to begin, this is the starting point of the IT movies in order.
- US release
- September 8, 2017
- Runtime
- 2h 15m
- Rating
- R / 15 / MA15+
- Director
- Andy Muschietti
- Budget
- $35 million
- Worldwide
- $720 million
It Trailer
What Is It (2017) About?
It (2017) is a supernatural horror story about seven outcast kids in Derry, Maine, who learn that a creature they call It has been hunting the town's children, and who choose to stand against it together. The film covers two seasons: a rainy October in 1988 and the summer that follows.
The trouble begins with little Georgie Denbrough, who heads out into the wet street with a paper boat folded by his older brother Bill. When the boat is swept into a storm drain, Georgie goes after it and meets a smiling clown in the dark, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and he is pulled out of sight. Bill cannot accept that his brother is gone, so through the summer he keeps searching, with his sharp tongued friends Richie, Eddie and Stan at his side.
Their search draws in three more misfits, Ben, Beverly and Mike, who each have their own reasons to keep clear of the bully Henry Bowers and his gang. Every one of the kids is also followed by frightening visions built from their personal fears, and that shared experience is what turns seven loners into the Losers Club. For how the film adapts Stephen King's novel, see the IT book vs movie breakdown.
It (2017) Cast and Characters: Who Plays Who?
It cast
Bill DenbroughJaeden Martell
Ben HanscomJeremy Ray Taylor
Beverly MarshSophia Lillis
Richie TozierFinn Wolfhard
Mike HanlonChosen Jacobs
Eddie KaspbrakJack Dylan Grazer
Henry BowersNicholas Hamilton
Belch HugginsJake Sim- Victor CrissLogan Thompson
- Patrick HockstetterOwen Teague
More of the cast: Jimmy Star (Man in Car (uncredited)), Javier Botet (Hobo), Stephen Bogaert (Mr. Marsh), Geoffrey Pounsett (Zach Denbrough), Megan Charpentier (Gretta), Janet Porter (Stanley's Mother), Edie Inksetter (Hostess).
It Stills
It (2017), still 1 
It (2017), still 2 
It (2017), still 3 
It (2017), still 4 
It (2017), still 5
Release Dates
| Market | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US | September 8, 2017confirmed | thewrap.com |
| UK | September 8, 2017reported | themoviedb.org |
| AU | September 7, 2017reported | themoviedb.org |
Where to Watch It
| Market | Subscription | Rent or buy |
|---|---|---|
| US | AMC, HBO Max | Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex |
| UK | HBO Max Amazon Channel, Now TV Cinema, HBO Max | Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store |
| AU | Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel | JustWatch TV Store, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube, Fetch TV |
Streaming availability data from JustWatch, checked 2026-11-03.
Director and Crew Behind It (2017)
| Director | Andy Muschietti |
|---|---|
| Writers | Cary Joji Fukunaga, Chase Palmer, Gary Dauberman |
| Producers | Dan Lin, Seth Grahame-Smith, Barbara Muschietti, David Katzenberg, Roy Lee |
| Music | Benjamin Wallfisch |
| Cinematography | Chung Chung-hoon |
Box Office
| Budget | $35 million |
|---|---|
| Domestic (US and Canada) | $329 million |
| International | $391 million |
| Worldwide | $720 million |
| Worldwide, in September 2026 dollars | $989 million |
It box office for every film.
What Songs Are in It (2017)? Soundtrack and Score
The score for It (2017), directed by Andy Muschietti, was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, and the film also uses seven licensed songs from the late 1980s setting. The film is set in the summer of 1989, and the needle drops lean on pop, rap and hard rock from that era.
The songs are tied closely to the Losers' Club and to Henry Bowers:
- "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block
- "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" by New Kids on the Block
- "Bust a Move" by Young MC
- "Six Different Ways" by The Cure
- "Antisocial" by Anthrax
- "Love Removal Machine" by The Cult
- "666" by Anvil
"Hangin' Tough" plays while Ben talks about the history of Derry's beaver-trapping camp and Beverly smiles at him. "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" comes from Ben's headphones in another outdoor scene with Beverly. "Bust a Move" plays from a speaker system as the boys of the Losers' Club watch Beverly sunbathe. "Six Different Ways" plays indoors while the group cleans up blood.
On the harder side, "Antisocial" plays as Henry confronts the Losers' Club and carries into the action sequence that follows. "Love Removal Machine" plays during a Derry High School sequence as Bill walks the hallway with Richie and Eddie. "666" plays from a vehicle's speakers as Henry rides past and then confronts Mike.
For the full track information across the saga, see the IT soundtrack page.
Songs in It
Hangin' Tough
Licensed songPlays while Ben talks about the history of Derry's beaver-trapping camp and Beverly smiles at him.
You Got It (The Right Stuff)
Licensed songPlays from Ben's headphones in an outdoor scene with Beverly.
Bust a Move
Licensed songYoung MC
Plays from a speaker system in an outdoor scene where the boys of the Losers' Club watch Beverly sunbathe.
Six Different Ways
Licensed songPlays indoors while the Losers' Club cleans up blood.
Antisocial
Licensed songAnthrax
Plays as Henry confronts the Losers' Club and carries into the action sequence that follows.
Love Removal Machine
Licensed songThe Cult
Plays during a Derry High School sequence as Bill walks the hallway with Richie and Eddie.
666
Licensed songAnvil
Plays from a vehicle's speakers as Henry rides past and then confronts Mike.
Sources: themoviedb.org, vaguevisages.com
It (2017) Plot Summary: The Full StorySpoilers
The full plot of It (2017) runs from Georgie's disappearance in 1988 to a blood oath at the end of the following summer, and the middle of the film is a slow collection of friends followed by two trips into the sewers beneath Derry.
After Georgie is taken, Bill, Richie, Eddie and Stan look for clues about his fate, and they team up with Ben, Beverly and Mike after clashes with the local bully Henry Bowers. Each of them is haunted by a personal nightmare, and together they work out that a creature they call It wakes about every 27 years to feed on Derry's children. Their research points to an abandoned house on Neibolt Street as the creature's way into the sewers.
They go there, and the encounter ends with Beverly driving a spike into the creature's head, so It retreats, though Ben is hurt. The group then falls apart under the strain, until Pennywise snatches Beverly. The boys go back to rescue her. Henry attacks them on the way, and Mike pushes him down a well.
Down in the sewers they find Beverly in a trance, and Ben's kiss wakes her. Pennywise grabs Bill and tries to split the group by offering to let the others go if they leave Bill behind. They refuse, fight together and wound the creature, and Beverly stabs It in the face. It falls away, weakened, and Bill finds Georgie's raincoat. As summer ends the friends swear a blood oath to return if It ever comes back, and Beverly prepares to leave town after a farewell kiss with Bill.
It (2017) Release Date and Premiere
It (2017) reached US theaters on September 8, 2017, a date Warner Bros. announced well over a year earlier on April 22, 2016. The UK release was on the same day, and Australia opened a day earlier, on September 7, 2017.
The film carries an R rating in the US, a 15 in the UK and an MA15+ in Australia. Those ratings place it firmly in adult horror territory, even though its heroes are children, and the opening scene of a young boy pulled into a storm drain shows why.
It (2017) is the first release in the saga, and the next release in the series is It Chapter Two, which arrived on September 6, 2019 in the US. No studio or trade source announces a dated third film, so no date can be given for the next IT movie yet. Follow the next IT movie for updates as the studios confirm them.
It (2017) Ending ExplainedSpoilers
The ending of It (2017) means the Losers Club have won a round, not the war, and the film says so in its own closing title card, which marks the story as Chapter One. In my opinion, that choice is what makes the finale feel earned instead of unfinished.
Here is what actually happens. The Losers drive Pennywise back into hiding and believe they have bought Derry some time, since the creature is weakened. Bill accepts that Georgie is gone, which is the emotional point of finding the raincoat. The friends cut their palms and promise to come back and finish It if the clown returns, and then they drift apart for the end of summer, with Beverly leaving town.
Why a promise instead of a kill? The film has already told us that It wakes about every 27 years, so a victory that lasts one summer is built into the rules. It could be argued that the strongest moment is the refusal in the sewers, when Pennywise offers to let the others go if they abandon Bill, and none of them takes the deal. That unity is what wounds the creature.
The sequel pays the oath off. It Chapter Two is set 27 years later, in 2016, with Mike as the one Loser who never left Derry and Stanley, who is also called, taking his own life rather than come back. The oath at the end of the first film is the thread that pulls them all home, and the order of events is laid out on the IT timeline.
Where Was It (2017) Filmed?
It (2017) was filmed in the Toronto area of Ontario, Canada, with principal photography running from June 27 to September 21, 2016. Derry itself is a Canadian town in disguise.
Port Hope, Ontario was dressed as Derry, Maine. Oshawa, Ontario provided the exterior of the Neibolt Street house, the abandoned building that the Losers Club identify as the creature's way into the sewers. Riverdale in Toronto was also used, and Toronto hosted principal photography, with studio sets built at Pinewood Toronto Studios.
It (2017) Trivia
The most useful trivia about It (2017) concerns how it was made, because the director, the writers and the release date were all settled well before cameras rolled in Toronto.
- Warner Bros. dated the film for September 8, 2017 on April 22, 2016, when Andy Muschietti was directing and the studio was still casting Pennywise.
- Box Office Mojo and The Numbers both list the production budget as $35 million.
- Three writers share screenplay credit: Chase Palmer, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman.
- Cary Joji Fukunaga, who was originally set to direct, left the project in May 2015 after reports of budget disputes with New Line.
- The film was produced by Lin Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment, KatzSmith Productions and New Line Cinema.
- Principal photography ran in the Toronto area from June 27 to September 21, 2016.
Facts
- It (2017) was released in US theaters on September 8, 2017. TheWrap, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) was directed by Andy Muschietti. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) runs 135 minutes. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) had a production budget of $35 million. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) grossed $328,874,981 at the domestic box office. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) grossed $390,890,691 internationally. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) grossed $719,766,009 worldwide. Box Office Mojo, checked 2026-11-03
- Bill Skarsgård plays Pennywise in It (2017). TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
- Benjamin Wallfisch composed the score for It (2017). WaterTower Music, checked 2026-11-03
- It (2017) is rated R in the US, 15 in the UK and MA15+ in Australia. TMDB, checked 2026-11-03
FAQs
Who played the clown in It?
Bill Skarsgård played Pennywise the Dancing Clown in It (2017). He is billed eighth in the cast and returned as Pennywise in It Chapter Two (2019).
What year does the 2017 movie It take place?
The film opens in October 1988, when Georgie Denbrough disappears, and the main story unfolds over the following summer. The sequel is set 27 years later, in 2016.
Is the movie It OK for a 10 year old?
The ratings say it is aimed at older viewers: It (2017) is rated R in the US, 15 in the UK and MA15+ in Australia, which puts it in adult horror territory. It opens with a young boy being dragged into a storm drain by a clown, and the Losers Club face frightening visions throughout.
What is the famous line from the movie It?
The moment most viewers remember is the opening scene, where Pennywise speaks to Georgie Denbrough at the storm drain after the paper boat slips away. The film has no officially designated signature line, so the answer is a matter of taste, and the scene itself is the safer pick.
Did Stephen King cameo in It in 2017?
Stephen King is not among the billed cast of It (2017), whose credits run from Jaeden Martell to Stuart Hughes. King wrote the novel the film adapts, and the film itself was directed by Andy Muschietti.
Where can you stream It (2017)?
As of November 3, 2026, TMDB, using JustWatch data, lists AMC and HBO Max as US streaming services, HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel and Now TV Cinema in the UK, and Netflix and HBO Max in Australia. Availability changes often, so check where to watch IT for the current list.