“It Chapter One” (the 2017 movie) takes place mainly in the summer of 1989 in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, with Georgie’s death happening in October 1988 as the event that kicks the story off.

Time period in detail

  • The opening with Georgie and the paper boat is set in October 1988, during heavy rain and flooding in Derry.
  • The bulk of It Chapter 1 follows the Losers Club the following summer , which is the summer of 1989.
  • This 1989 setting is a shift from Stephen King’s novel, which has the kids’ storyline in the late 1950s instead.

Where it takes place

  • The story is set in the small, fictional town of Derry, Maine, which is plagued by a recurring cycle of child disappearances and tragedies.
  • Derry serves as the “feeding ground” for Pennywise, who awakens roughly every 27 years to prey on children before returning to hibernation.

Why the year matters

  • Moving the kids’ story to 1989 lets the film lean into late‑80s pop culture, music, and visuals, which shapes the tone and look of It Chapter One.
  • It also sets up Chapter Two, where the adult Losers return to Derry roughly 27 years later, putting that part of the story in the mid‑2010s.

TL;DR: When does It Chapter 1 take place?
In-universe, it’s mostly summer 1989 in Derry, Maine (after an opening in October 1988), reimagining the book’s 1950s kids’ timeline for an 80s setting.

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