HBO Max confirms 'IT: Welcome to Derry' release date — and it's dropping just in time for Halloween

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"Everyone's dying to see IT," says HBO

A first-look photo from "IT: Welcome to Derry" featuring actor Chris Chalk with a "Pennywise" circus display board behind him
(Image credit: Brooke Palmer/HBO)

HBO Max is serving up the scares just in time for Halloween, as the streaming service has confirmed the release date for "IT: Welcome to Derry" will see the "IT" prequel series landing just days out from everyone's favorite spooktacular holiday.

The streamer shared the news with a brief, foreboding post on social media. The post contains a short clip of a theater entrance, a cheeky slogan teasing "Everyone's dying to see IT" and confirming that "IT: Welcome to Derry" premieres on HBO Max on Sunday, October 26. You can see it below:

The forthcoming horror series is expected to air on a weekly basis following "IT: Welcome to Derry's" October 26 premiere. An exact airtime has not yet been confirmed.

With a release window of fall 2025, it felt practically inevitable that the "IT" prequel would launch on or around Halloween; could there be a better time to reunite with Bill Skarsgård's killer clown, Pennywise?

What else do we know about 'IT: Welcome to Derry'

IT: Welcome to Derry | Official Teaser | HBO Max - YouTube IT: Welcome to Derry | Official Teaser | HBO Max - YouTube
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HBO's logline for the upcoming show doesn't exactly give much away about the show, though. It reads: "Set in the world of Stephen King's "IT" universe, "IT: Welcome to Derry" is based on King's "IT" novel and expands the vision established by filmmaker Andy Muschietti in the feature films "IT" and "IT Chapter Two.""

That doesn't mean we don't know anything about "IT: Welcome to Derry," though: you can get a taste of what's in store in the teaser trailer (embedded above), which dropped back in May.

A second teaser followed on YouTube over the summer, exploring more of the town's eerie atmosphere and plenty more stranger and sinister goings-on. As an exercise in setting up an off-kilter vibe, they're both very unnerving.

Naturally, you can't have "IT" without, well, it, and Skarsgård's back as Pennywise, but the cast list also includes Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, Chris Chalk, James Remar, Stephen Rider, Madeleine Stowe, and Rudy Mancuso.

Need something new to stream while you wait for "It: Welcome to Derry" to arrive? Check out our round-up of the best shows on HBO Max for tons more top streaming suggestions to fill your time.

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Martin Shore
Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

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