No Clowning – Horror Hit 'It' Breaks Box Office Records

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- 'It' is a hit.

The Stephen King adaptation from New Line and Warner Bros. has earned a record-breaking $117.2 million from 4,103 locations according to studio estimates on Sunday.

Not only is "It" now the largest opening for a horror movie ever and the largest September opening of all time, the film more than doubled the earnings of the previous record holders.

"It" also had a modest price tag, costing around $35 million to produce.

The R-rated pic is directed by Andy Muschietti and stars Bill Skarsgard as the homicidal clown Pennywise. It's the first of a planned two-part series.

The success of "It" comes after a tumultuous and underperforming summer movie-going season that left the year-to-date box office down nearly 7 percent from last year.