It (2017) received a Metacritic score of 70, which places the film in the “generally favorable reviews” category. This score represents the critical consensus from a curated selection of major film critics and publications who reviewed the horror film following its theatrical release.
Director Andy Muschietti’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel was praised for its atmosphere, performances, and effective scares, though some critics felt the lengthy runtime and occasional tonal shifts prevented it from achieving a higher critical rating.
- Metacritic Rating 2017: Table of Contents
- Why Does It 2017's Metascore of 70 Matter?
- Understanding the Critical-to-Audience Score Gap
- What Did Critics Specifically Praise and Criticize?
- Using Metacritic Scores to Decide If You Should Watch It
- Why Don't All Horror Fans Agree on It's Quality?
- How It's Metascore Compares to Other 2017 Horror Releases
- The Lasting Impact of It's Critical Reception
- Conclusion
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When compared to other horror adaptations of King’s work, It’s score of 70 sits respectably above films like Gerald’s Game (63) but below The Shining (82), illustrating how the film landed in the middle tier of King adaptations in terms of critical reception.
Beyond the critical score, the film resonated strongly with audiences, earning a user score of 7.8 out of 10 based on 1,549 user ratings, with 82 percent of viewers giving it a positive rating.
This gap between the critic score and audience score—with viewers rating it higher than critics—suggests that It connected emotionally with general audiences despite some reservations from professional reviewers. The film’s strong opening weekend of $123.4 million domestically validated this audience enthusiasm, making it one of the highest-grossing horror films ever made at that time.
Table of Contents
- Why Does It 2017’s Metascore of 70 Matter?
- Understanding the Critical-to-Audience Score Gap
- What Did Critics Specifically Praise and Criticize?
- Using Metacritic Scores to Decide If You Should Watch It
- Why Don’t All Horror Fans Agree on It’s Quality?
- How It’s Metascore Compares to Other 2017 Horror Releases
- The Lasting Impact of It’s Critical Reception
- Conclusion
Why Does It 2017’s Metascore of 70 Matter?
The metacritic score of 70 operates on a scale where 51-75 indicates “mixed or average reviews,” but the score falls on the higher end of that range, leaning toward genuine critical approval.
This distinction matters because it means that while not every critic loved the film, the majority response was positive.
Major outlets like IGN awarded the film 92 out of 100, recognizing its strengths in maintaining suspense and delivering scares, while other critics appreciated Muschietti’s visual approach to Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the young ensemble cast’s performances.
However, publications that rated it lower often cited concerns about the film’s two-hour and fifteen-minute length and the balance between horror and coming-of-age drama.
Understanding what a 70 Metascore means practically is important for viewers deciding whether to watch the film. Unlike a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down, this score indicates that critics generally found the film entertaining and well-crafted, but with notable limitations.
If you’re seeking a horror film with universal critical acclaim, a 70 suggests a solid but not exceptional choice.
For reference, It Follows (another well-regarded modern horror film) scored an 83 on Metacritic, while mainstream horror films like The Ring (2002) scored an 61, positioning It (2017) as a modern horror film that achieved more critical respect than most mainstream genre entries.
Understanding the Critical-to-Audience Score Gap
The 11-point difference between the Metacritic metascore (70) and the user score (7.8 out of 10) is relatively modest compared to many films, but it does reveal something important about how professional critics and general audiences perceived It (2017) differently.
Critics, who reviewed the film with consideration for technical filmmaking, originality, and artistic merit, were slightly more reserved. Audiences, particularly those nostalgic for Stephen King properties or seeking a genuinely frightening theatrical experience, were more enthusiastic.
This pattern is common in horror films, where the visceral impact and emotional resonance experienced in a theater can affect audience perception differently than a critic’s analytical assessment conducted at a press screening.
The 82 percent positive audience rating deserves emphasis because it indicates strong agreement among viewers, not polarization. When a film has this level of positive sentiment combined with a decent user score, it suggests the film delivered on fundamental audience expectations.
However, one limitation of the user score is that Metacritic’s user base skews toward more engaged film fans—those who take time to rate and review films on the platform.
Casual viewers who watched It (2017) at home or in theaters but never rated it on Metacritic aren’t represented in this sample, so the user score likely reflects a more dedicated film-watching audience rather than the general public.
What Did Critics Specifically Praise and Criticize?
The critical reception for It (2017) centered primarily on the film’s atmosphere, cast, and visual storytelling. Reviewers consistently highlighted Bill Skarsgård’s transformative performance as Pennywise, particularly praising how the actor conveyed menace without relying solely on the creature design.
The ensemble cast of young performers—including Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, and Finn Wolfhard—received widespread appreciation for bringing emotional weight to their characters during the non-horror sequences. Critics also recognized Muschietti’s ability to create sustained tension and deliver effective scares without excessive gore, a stylistic choice that elevated the film above typical jump-scare dependent horror.
Where the critical consensus wavered was on narrative structure and thematic balance. Some reviewers felt the film became overstuffed trying to service both the horror narrative and the coming-of-age storyline, making the 135-minute runtime feel occasionally bloated.
The second act, particularly, drew mixed commentary—some praised the character development, while others felt it slowed the horror momentum. Additionally, a few critics noted that certain plot elements felt simplified compared to King’s novel, specifically around Pennywise’s motivations and the mechanics of its supernatural abilities.
These specific criticisms, while not universally shared, likely prevented the film from achieving a higher critical score of 75 or above.
Using Metacritic Scores to Decide If You Should Watch It
For potential viewers, the 70 Metascore serves as a practical filtering tool, but one that works best in combination with other metrics and personal preferences. If you typically enjoy horror films with artistic merit and strong character development, It (2017)’s score suggests the film is worth your time.
If you prefer pure scares and tension without substantial dialogue scenes exploring fear, trauma, and friendship, the film might feel uneven.
One effective approach is to cross-reference the Metascore with other rating systems—on Rotten Tomatoes, for example, the film earned a 85% critical score and 89% audience score, slightly higher than Metacritic, which could indicate that aggregate scoring systems register it differently.
The tradeoff when relying on any single review aggregate is that you lose the nuance of individual critical perspectives. Reading one or two detailed reviews of It (2017) from critics whose taste aligns with yours will likely provide more useful guidance than trusting the 70 score alone.
That said, the fact that 70 is significantly above 50 tells you that the film is not a critical dud—it’s a film that accomplished what it set out to do for most professional reviewers, even if it didn’t achieve universal acclaim.
For franchise potential and cultural impact, this score clearly wasn’t a barrier, as evidenced by the film’s success in launching a sequel and multiple spin-offs.
Why Don’t All Horror Fans Agree on It’s Quality?
The moderate gap between the metascore and user score exists partly because horror films are particularly subjective in their impact.
What registers as genuinely terrifying to one viewer might feel predictable to another, and tone matters significantly in horror—viewers who wanted more sustained scares felt let down by the film’s extended coming-of-age sequences, while those seeking character investment valued exactly what others criticized.
Stephen King fans, in particular, represent a diverse viewing audience; some came to see a faithful adaptation of the novel’s mythology, while others were primarily interested in visual scares on a theatrical screen.
A critical limitation of aggregated scores is that they flatten these preferences into a single number. A film could receive five 10 ratings and five 3 ratings and still average to a 6.5, obscuring whether there’s genuine disagreement or a bell curve of opinions.
In It (2017)’s case, the relative consensus (70 metascore with 82% positive audience sentiment) suggests the distribution is less extreme—most critics and audiences came away satisfied, even if not overwhelmed. This is actually a strong position for a horror film, as the genre frequently produces sharply polarizing works that audiences either love or dismiss entirely.
How It’s Metascore Compares to Other 2017 Horror Releases
Within 2017, It (2017) was one of the stronger horror releases critically, though it faced competition from other entries. Films like Happy Death Day scored 57 on Metacritic and played as mainstream horror-comedy, while Annabelle: Creation scored 68, nearly matching It despite having a smaller production scope.
The Get Out phenomenon—which released in March 2017 and earned an exceptional Metacritic score of 82—set a high bar for genre films that year, demonstrating that elevated horror could achieve both critical and commercial success.
It (2017), coming later in the year and based on existing source material, carved out its own space with a 70 score that positioned it as a legitimate horror film with professional credibility, even if it didn’t match Get Out’s critical breakthrough.
The comparison illuminates that a 70 Metascore for a mainstream horror adaptation with a massive budget ($35 million) represented a significant achievement. Blockbuster horror films rarely achieve this level of critical validation, as they’re frequently dismissed by critics as commercial product.
It (2017) managed to be both commercially massive and critically legitimate, a rare combination that the Metascore of 70 accurately reflects.
The Lasting Impact of It’s Critical Reception
The Metacritic score of 70 sits within a band that ensured the film’s cultural legitimacy, which likely contributed to both its franchise expansion and its enduring presence in streaming libraries and home video sales.
Horror films that score below 60 often struggle to find respectability among general audiences, while those scoring 75 and above receive intense critical celebration. It (2017) inhabited the sweet spot of a film that professionals approved of sufficiently to recommend, audiences embraced enthusiastically, and studios felt confident enough to greenlight sequels and spin-offs around.
Looking forward, It’s Metascore of 70 will likely remain its critical permanent record, as aggregate scores don’t change. The 2019 sequel, It Chapter Two, scored a lower 59 on Metacritic, which contextually makes the original’s 70 appear stronger in retrospect.
For newcomers discovering the film via streaming in 2026 and beyond, the Metascore serves as a quick indicator that this is a horror film that cleared the bar of professional critical respect—not a masterpiece, but a solid, entertaining film worth the two-hour-plus investment.
Conclusion
It (2017) earned a Metacritic score of 70, placing it in the category of films with generally favorable reviews from critics. This score accurately reflects a film that delivered on the fundamental promises of a Stephen King adaptation—effective scares, strong performances, and atmospheric direction—while not achieving perfection in narrative balance or innovation.
The 7.8 out of 10 user score and 82% positive audience sentiment demonstrate that the film resonated strongly with general viewers, even if critics were slightly more measured in their enthusiasm.
For anyone considering whether to watch It (2017), the Metacritic score of 70 provides meaningful context: this is a professionally vetted film that works well within its genre, even if it’s not considered a landmark achievement in horror cinema.
Whether that score is sufficient to justify your time depends on your personal preferences for horror, your familiarity with the source material, and your tolerance for longer runtimes.
The film’s commercial success and the franchises that followed demonstrate that audiences and critics alike found it worthy of attention, making the 70 Metascore both accurate and unsurprising as the critical consensus for a competent, entertaining horror film.
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