Professional clowns blame 'It' for a drop in business
Warner Bros.
The latest adaptation of the classic Stephen King novel broke records at the box office last weekend when it opened with an incredible $123.4 million domestically, which gave Hollywood a hit movie after three weeks of pitiful performers. But one line of business that isn't finding the same success is clowns.
The main villain in "It" is an evil clown named Pennywise who terrorizes the fictional town of Derry, Maine. His particular interest is snatching up children. Needless to say, moms and dads suddenly aren't setting up clowns to come entertain their kids' birthday parties.
In fact, John Nelson, a professional clown, says he's gotten several cancellations in the last few weeks due to the release of "It" and its marketing of the scary Pennywise.
But now he's doing something about it.
Nelson, who runs Clowns in Town with a partner, has put together a rally outside New York City's Union Square Regal Cinema in New York City to show that clowns aren't all that bad.
"Our hope is to raise enough awareness so when people think of clowns they won't think of scary murderers but people who dedicate their lives to bringing joy," Nelson told the NBC News 4, the New York City affiliate of the network.
REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro
Because many clowns do not ask for deposits in advance and are paid on site, according to Nelson, the popularity of "It" has caused a significant loss.
The movie's release is just the latest hurdle for clowns. Though clowns have been the cornerstone of children's entertainment for over 200 years, in recent generations children have grown more frightened of clowns. According to a 2015 story in The Guardian on the likability of clowns, a University of Sheffield study of 250 children for a report on hospital design suggested children find clown motifs "frightening and unknowable." And adults are scared, too. There's even a name for it: coulrophobia.
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- "To sit and talk in the box...!" Kohli's message to critics as RCB wrecks GT in IPL Match 45
- 7 Nutritious and flavourful tiffin ideas to pack for school
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market