The new adaptation of Stephen King’s It has now surpassed The Exorcist to take the title of the world’s highest grossing R-rated horror film of all time (unadjusted for inflation…)

Andy Muschietti has reason to be just that little bit pleased with himself. His It is now not solely a critical hit but a commercial giant too – the film has certainly not clowned around when it comes to the box office.

Having brought in a mighty  $266m in America alone, the addition of an equally impressive $212 across the globe has taken It to a grand – and not yet – total of $487m. That’s a leap above the $441m pulled in by William Friedkin’s The Exorcist, since it’s release in 1974, the previous highest grossing R-rated horror of them all.

In terms of broader horror cinema, It has also jumped ahead of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws ($470) and now only trails M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense at $673m. To put this into context, Shyamalan’s more recent Split from earlier this year has currently brought in ‘just’ $277m.

It’s worth noting – but far less interesting – that these numbers are all unadjusted for inflation. With ticket prices higher now and the financial world a different kettle of fish, what this actually means is that, like-for-like, It is probably still a long way off the top spot.

That said, it’s hard to imagine that Muschetti cares.

It‘s sequel – It: Chapter 2 – has now been given an official release date and will hit screens on 6 September 2019.

Gary Douberman will pen the script, with Muschetti returning to direct.

As for the cast? We’ve had a few ideas…