John Lithgow

John Lithgow
By David Shankbone (David Shankbone) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
Best known as a Supporting Actor based on credits in that role in 26 films, with $3,335,020,506 worldwide aggregate box office (rank #344)
Best-known acting roles: Donald (Interstellar), Charles Rodman (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Lord Farquaad (Shrek), Mr. Whitaker (Daddy’s Home 2), Fergus (Pitch Perfect 3)
Most productive collaborators: James Franco, Rupert Wyatt, Matthew McConaughey, Christopher Nolan, Freida Pinto
Born: October 19, 1945 (78 years old)
                                    

  1. Summary
  2. News
  3. Acting Credits
  4. Technical Credits

Career Summary


  MoviesDomestic
Box Office
International
Box Office
Worldwide
Box Office
As an ActorSupporting26$1,675,199,763$1,659,820,743$3,335,020,506
Leading6$135,556,628$72,618,584$208,175,212
Lead Ensemble Member1$0$0$0
(Unclassified)21$470,877,509$32,242,643$503,120,152

Career Trend

This graph shows John Lithgow’s score on our annual analysis of leading stars at the box office. The Star Score represents points assigned to each of the leading stars of the top 100 movies (based on box office) in the current year and two preceding years. For appearing in the number one movie in a year a star gets 100 points, the number two movie 99 points and so on..

Latest Ranking on Selected Box Office Record Lists


2019 Preview: December

December 1st, 2019

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Frozen II wasn’t the only box office hit to debut in November, but it was by far the largest. It helped save November and kept 2019 from turning completely sour at the last minute. As for December, we have several potential $100 million hits, plus a couple of monster hits. There are some who think Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be the biggest domestic hit released in 2019, but most think it will have to settle for second place. Jumanji: The Next Level should also be a monster hit, even if it doesn’t come really close to its predecessor. As for last December, Aquaman was the undisputed champion, earning almost as much as the next two films combined. Jumanji could top Aquaman at the box office, while we could also have more $100 million films than we had last year. Add in Star Wars and the year should end on a really positive note, making up for the extended slumps we had to deal with through a lot of the year. 2019 won’t be able to close the gap entirely, but it will do enough that we will be able to celebrate. More...

Bombshell Trailer

August 22nd, 2019

Real-life drama starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, and John Lithgow opens December 20 ... Full Movie Details.

A revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time; Fox News, and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Documenting the History of Art

May 24th, 2019

The Souvenir

Documentaries dominate this week’s list of limited releases with five such films appearing below. All of them are about an artist, music, or fashion, so if you are into those, you are in luck. Of these, I think Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation will do the best. Meanwhile, there are a couple of VOD titles that are also worth checking out: Avengement and Funny Story. More...

2017 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part III - Limited Releases, Classics, Foreign Imports

December 16th, 2017

The Big Sick

Both the first installment First-run Releases and the second installment, TV on DVD releases, were shorter than I would have liked, as this hasn’t been a great year for either wide releases or TV on DVD releases. That said, the third installment of our Holiday Gift Guide deals with limited releases, classics, and foreign imports and this list can get out of hand rather quickly. There will more releases on this list than the previous two, starting with... More...

2017 Preview: November

November 1st, 2017

Thor: Ragnarok

October wasn’t a good month; then again, outside of a few bright spots, the overall box office has been a disaster since early summer. I would love to say November will turn things around, but, while it should be better, in this case “better” is a relative term. There are two films on this list with a chance at $300 million, Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League, while Coco is nearly a guarantee for $200 million. By comparison, last November had a similar result with three films earning between $200 million and $300 million, but none topping that figure. This means, if Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League both get to that milestone, then 2017 could cut into 2016’s lead during the month. It will still take a minor miracle for 2017 to catch up in the end, but just cutting the lead in half by the end of December would be a reason to celebrate at this point. More...

Featured DVD Review: Beatriz at Dinner

September 11th, 2017

Beatriz at Dinner

Beatriz at Dinner came out in limited release this past summer earning reviews that are good, but not great. Its box office results were very good for a limited release earning just over $7 million, but it never quite cracked the top ten. Does the film’s quality match this result? Is it good, but not great? Or did it deserve breakout success? More...

Daddy’s Home 2 Trailer

September 6th, 2017

Comedy starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, and John Lithgow opens November 10 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Dinner and a Movie

June 9th, 2017

My Cousin Rachel

It is not a particularly busy week as far as limited releases are concerned. However, there are a few that have a shot at earning some mainstream success: Beatriz at Dinner, I, Daniel Blake, and My Cousin Rachel. There’s a chance none of them will do well this weekend, but hopefully they can all find an audience. More...

Beatriz at Dinner Trailer

April 17th, 2017

Drama starring Salma Hayek and John Lithgow opens June 9 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Interstellar

March 30th, 2015

Interstellar is the latest film from Christopher Nolan, a director who has performed amazingly well at the box office. He's also never directed a film that earned bad reviews. Is this film as good as his past record? Or are there flaws starting to show in his directing style? More...

2014 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part IV

December 20th, 2014

The final installment of our annual Holiday Gift Guide involves books, music, and whatever DVD and Blu-rays I forgot the first time around. Also, like every year, I use this as an opportunity do go over some screeners that arrived late and that I didn't have time to go through in-depth. Like I've said the first three times, I didn't feel like there was a huge amount of DVDs and Blu-ray that came out this year, so I really hope I didn't miss out much. We can start out with... More...

2014 - Awards Season: Independent Spirit Awards - Nominations

December 6th, 2014

Birdman poster

The Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced last week and I'm getting to them a little late, because I needed to organize the whole Awards Season stories. Firstly, I've decided to use the year the movies were released not the year the awards are handed out, unlike what we did last year. This means both will have 2014 as the year. Not ideal, but it is better to fix the mistake now than carry on making it. Secondly, the headlines are just going to be the name of the Awards and either nominations or winners. This will make it easier for readers to find later on. As for the Independent Spirit Awards nominations, Birdman led the way with 6 nods, while Boyhood, Nightcrawler, and Selma were right behind with 5 each.

More...

Limited Releases are Strange

August 22nd, 2014

Love is Strange poster

It's a short list this week with only a handful of films. Fortunately, there are two films opening in limited release that are earning strong buzz and great reviews: Love is Strange and The One I Love. Both should find audiences in theaters. Another film, To Be Takei, is also earning great reviews and could do better than most documentaries. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Dexter: Season Seven

May 13th, 2013

During the first five seasons of Dexter, there was only one season that I didn't think was amazing. Season four had the best John Lithgow guest star in the show's run. Season five shook things up, as the main guest star wasn't the big bad for the season. As a result, expectations for season six were incredibly high. The season didn't live up to them. In fact, I thought season six was the weakest season in the show's run so far. The only part that really worked was the cliffhanger finale. Because of this, expectations for season seven are mixed. Will the show live up to the cliffhanger ending? Or is the show on a downward slope in terms of quality? More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: This is 40

March 19th, 2013

This is 40 is a spin-off from Knocked-Up, which remains Judd Apatow's biggest hit and one of his most loved films. It had high expectations associated with it, but it failed to live up to them. Is it a case of the expectations being just too high? Or did it struggle because it is a flawed film? More...

2012 Preview: December

December 1st, 2012

November was a strong month and left 2012 with a very easy path to a new all time record. There was only one major miss the entire month, Rise of the Guardians, while The Silver Linings Playbook was pulled from wide release at the last minute, so it is a little hard to judge its box office performance. On the positive side, Skyfall might top original expectations by $100 million. All this December has to do is maintain pace with last December to ensure 2012 sets the new record. I would like to say that will be easy to do, but I really don't know. Last year, there was only one $200 million hit, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, plus a few others that reached $100 million, so the bar isn't set too high. This year, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is expected to at least come close to $300 million. Some think it will earn more than $400 million. However, it could also be the last film to make $100 million till February. December is normally a very good month to release a film, but the release schedule is so messed up that it makes it very hard to predict what will happen. There appears to be just ten films opening truly wide this month (I'm getting mixed signals on a few of them). That's a really light schedule for a month and a light schedule tends to help maximize the box office potential for individual films. However, eight of these films open wide within a seven-day period. That's insane. There's no way all of those films will find an audience and there's a chance that due to the competition, none of them will. Let's hope the situation isn't as bad as that, but there are some serious reasons to be concerned for most new releases coming out this month. More...

All Acting Credits



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Release
Date
TitleRoleDomestic
Box Office
International
Box Office
Worldwide
Box Office
2024Spellbound Minister Bolinar
Nov 1, 2024Conclave Cardinal Tremblay
Mar 8, 2024Cabrini Mayor Gould $13,001,227$137,755$13,138,982
Feb 10, 2023Sharper Richard Hobbes
May 7, 2021Emily @ The Edge of Chaos Sir Isaac Newton
Dec 13, 2019Bombshell Roger Ailes $31,762,808$29,641,586$61,404,394
Jun 7, 2019Late Night Walter Lovell $15,500,045$6,873,333$22,373,378
May 22, 2019The Tomorrow Man Ed Hemsler $354,103$354,103
Apr 5, 2019Pet Sematary Jud Creed $54,724,696$57,085,036$111,809,732
Dec 7, 2018Divide and Conquer: Th… Roger Ailes $38,510$38,510
Dec 22, 2017Pitch Perfect 3 Fergus $104,897,530$80,838,882$185,736,412
Nov 10, 2017Daddy’s Home 2 Mr. Whitaker $104,029,443$71,777,740$175,807,183
Jun 9, 2017Beatriz at Dinner Doug Strutt $7,115,854$178,182$7,294,036
Nov 25, 2016Miss Sloane Senator Ronald Sp… $3,500,605$4,267,654$7,768,259
Oct 14, 2016The Accountant Lamar Blackburn $86,260,045$66,702,038$152,962,083
Nov 14, 2014The Homesman Reverend Alfred Dowd $2,429,989$5,787,582$8,217,571
Nov 5, 2014Interstellar Donald $188,017,894$459,056,252$647,074,146
Aug 22, 2014Love is Strange Ben $2,262,555$662,662$2,925,217
Dec 21, 2012This is 40 Oliver $67,544,505$22,676,677$90,221,182
Aug 10, 2012The Campaign Glenn Motch $86,907,746$18,000,000$104,907,746
Aug 5, 2011Rise of the Planet of … Charles Rodman $176,760,185$294,226,015$470,986,200
Jan 8, 2010Leap Year Jack $25,918,920$6,700,000$32,618,920
Feb 13, 2009Confessions of a Shopa… Edgar West $44,277,350$63,750,351$108,027,701
Dec 15, 2006Dreamgirls Jerry Harris $103,365,956$52,254,394$155,620,350
Dec 5, 2004The Life and Death of … $2,539,827$2,539,827
Nov 12, 2004Kinsey Alfred Seguine Ki… $10,214,647$7,228,882$17,443,529
Jan 11, 2002Orange County Bud Brumder $41,059,716$2,248,991$43,308,707
May 18, 2001Shrek Lord Farquaad $268,028,651$224,157,783$492,186,434
Nov 17, 2000Rugrats in Paris Jean-Claude $76,501,438$26,783,375$103,284,813
Dec 25, 1998A Civil Action Judge Skinner $56,709,981$56,709,981
Apr 17, 1998Homegrown Malcolm/Robert St… $215,553$215,553
Oct 28, 1994Silent Fall Dr. Harlinger $3,180,000$3,180,000
Sep 16, 1994Princess Caraboo Professor Wilkinson $2,984,777$92,578$3,077,355
Sep 9, 1994A Good Man in Africa Arthur Fanshawe $2,308,390$2,308,390
Dec 17, 1993The Pelican Brief Smith Keen $100,768,056$87,227,803$187,995,859
May 28, 1993Cliffhanger Eric Qualen $84,049,211$170,950,789$255,000,000
Aug 7, 1992Raising Cain Carter/Cain/Docto… $21,171,695$21,171,695
Dec 6, 1991At Play in the Fields … Leslie Huben $1,342,903$1,342,903
Oct 4, 1991Ricochet Earl Talbott Blake $21,756,163$21,756,163
Feb 8, 1991L.A. Story Harry Zell (scene… $28,854,480$28,854,480
Oct 12, 1990Memphis Belle Col. Bruce Derringer $27,385,582$27,385,582
Jun 5, 1987Harry and the Hendersons George Henderson $29,760,613$2,800,000$32,560,613
Jun 13, 1986The Manhattan Project Dr. John Mathewson $3,900,000$3,900,000
Nov 29, 1985Santa Claus B.Z. $23,717,291$25,849$23,743,140
Dec 7, 19842010 Walter Curnow $41,000,000$41,000,000
Aug 10, 1984The Adventures of Buck… Doctor Emilio Liz… $6,300,000$6,300,000
Feb 17, 1984Footloose Reverend Shaw Moore $80,000,000$8,940$80,008,940
Nov 23, 1983Terms of Endearment Sam Burns $108,423,489$260$108,423,749
Jun 24, 1983Twilight Zone: The Movie John Valentine (S… $29,500,000$29,500,000
Jul 23, 1982The World According to… Roberta Muldoon $30,207,324$30,207,324
Jul 24, 1981Blow Out Burke $13,747,234$754$13,747,988
Dec 20, 1979All That Jazz Lucas Sergeant $37,823,676$37,823,676
Aug 17, 1979Rich Kids Paul Philips $53,064$53,064
1978The Big Fix Sam Sebastian/Osc… $12,000,000$12,000,000
 
Averages $46,563,957$56,925,225$80,926,317
Totals 54 $2,281,633,900$1,764,681,970$4,046,315,870


Leading or Lead Ensemble Roles


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Release
Date
TitleOpening
Weekend
Maximum
Theaters
Domestic
Box Office
Worldwide
Box Office
Domestic
Share
Feb 10, 2023Sharper
May 22, 2019The Tomorrow Man $18,281211$354,103$354,103100.0%
Dec 7, 2018Divide and Conquer: Th… $18,83316$38,510$38,510100.0%
Nov 10, 2017Daddy’s Home 2 $29,651,1933,575$104,029,443$175,807,18359.2%
Jun 9, 2017Beatriz at Dinner $141,959683$7,115,854$7,294,03697.6%
Aug 22, 2014Love is Strange $117,276138$2,262,555$2,925,21777.3%
Oct 4, 1991Ricochet $4,831,1811,560$21,756,163$21,756,163100.0%
 
Averages $5,796,4541,031$22,592,771$34,695,86989.0%
Totals 7 $135,556,628$208,175,212


Supporting Roles


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Release
Date
TitleOpening
Weekend
Maximum
Theaters
Domestic
Box Office
Worldwide
Box Office
Domestic
Share
2024Spellbound
Nov 1, 2024Conclave
Mar 8, 2024Cabrini $7,168,5202,850$13,001,227$13,138,98299.0%
May 7, 2021Emily @ The Edge of Chaos
Dec 13, 2019Bombshell $319,1571,721$31,762,808$61,404,39451.7%
Jun 7, 2019Late Night $246,3052,220$15,500,045$22,373,37869.3%
Apr 5, 2019Pet Sematary $24,502,7753,585$54,724,696$111,809,73248.9%
Dec 22, 2017Pitch Perfect 3 $19,928,5253,468$104,897,530$185,736,41256.5%
Nov 25, 2016Miss Sloane $59,7971,648$3,500,605$7,768,25945.1%
Oct 14, 2016The Accountant $24,710,2733,402$86,260,045$152,962,08356.4%
Nov 14, 2014The Homesman $45,433222$2,429,989$8,217,57129.6%
Nov 5, 2014Interstellar $47,510,3603,561$188,017,894$647,074,14629.1%
Dec 21, 2012This is 40 $11,579,1752,931$67,544,505$90,221,18274.9%
Aug 10, 2012The Campaign $26,588,4603,302$86,907,746$104,907,74682.8%
Aug 5, 2011Rise of the Planet of … $54,806,1913,691$176,760,185$470,986,20037.5%
Jan 8, 2010Leap Year $9,202,8152,512$25,918,920$32,618,92079.5%
Feb 13, 2009Confessions of a Shopa… $15,066,3602,534$44,277,350$108,027,70141.0%
Dec 15, 2006Dreamgirls $378,9502,797$103,365,956$155,620,35066.4%
Nov 12, 2004Kinsey $169,038588$10,214,647$17,443,52958.6%
Jan 11, 2002Orange County $15,053,2262,317$41,059,716$43,308,70794.8%
May 18, 2001Shrek $42,347,7603,715$268,028,651$492,186,43454.5%
Dec 25, 1998A Civil Action $70,0792,069$56,709,981$56,709,981100.0%
Dec 17, 1993The Pelican Brief $16,864,4042,022$100,768,056$187,995,85953.6%
May 28, 1993Cliffhanger $20,458,0222,431$84,049,211$255,000,00033.0%
Feb 17, 1984Footloose $8,556,9351,384$80,000,000$80,008,940100.0%
Jun 24, 1983Twilight Zone: The Movie $6,614,3661,288$29,500,000$29,500,000100.0%
 
Averages $15,315,0842,446$72,834,772$145,000,89263.6%
Totals 26 $1,675,199,763$3,335,020,506

Latest Ranking on All Acting Box Office Record Lists


RecordRankAmount
Top 100 Stars in Leading Roles at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 1,201-1,300) 1,296 $135,556,628
Top 100 Stars in Supporting Roles at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 201-300) 217 $1,675,201,645
Top Live Action Stars at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 201-300) 252 $2,013,607,131
Top Above the Line Stars at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 301-400) 332 $1,302,078,773
Top Below the Line Stars at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 3,901-4,000) 3,947 $295,345,413
Top Stars at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 201-300) 287 $2,281,635,782
Top 100 Stars in Leading Roles at the International Box Office (Rank 1,901-2,000) 1,914 $72,618,584
Top 100 Stars in Supporting Roles at the International Box Office (Rank 501-600) 518 $1,659,773,190
Top Live Action Stars at the International Box Office (Rank 701-800) 720 $1,537,936,807
Top Above the Line Stars at the International Box Office (Rank 701-800) 709 $956,803,875
Top Below the Line Stars at the International Box Office (Rank 2,701-2,800) 2,712 $545,682,716
Top Stars at the International Box Office (Rank 701-800) 759 $1,764,634,417
Top 100 Stars in Leading Roles at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 1,501-1,600) 1,563 $208,175,212
Top 100 Stars in Supporting Roles at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 301-400) 344 $3,334,974,835
Top Live Action Stars at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 401-500) 413 $3,551,543,938
Top Above the Line Stars at the Wordwide Box Office (Rank 401-500) 499 $2,258,882,648
Top Below the Line Stars at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 3,101-3,200) 3,118 $841,028,129
Top Stars at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 401-500) 479 $4,046,270,199
Highest Grossing Stars of 1991 at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 101-200) 179 40
Highest Grossing Stars of 1992 at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 101-200) 180 40
Highest Grossing Stars of 1993 at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 101-200) 191 40
Highest Grossing Stars of 2017 at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 201-300) 256 71
Highest Grossing Stars of 2018 at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 301-400) 305 71
Highest Grossing Stars of 2019 at the Domestic Box Office (Rank 301-400) 314 71
Highest Grossing Stars of 2017 at the International Box Office (Rank 401-500) 407 29
Highest Grossing Stars of 2018 at the International Box Office (Rank 401-500) 442 29
Highest Grossing Stars of 2019 at the International Box Office (Rank 401-500) 437 29
Highest Grossing Stars of 2017 at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 301-400) 356 47
Highest Grossing Stars of 2018 at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 301-400) 396 47
Highest Grossing Stars of 2019 at the Worldwide Box Office (Rank 301-400) 388 47
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 701-800) 716 $135,518,118
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Based on Real Life Events Movies (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,020 $38,510
Top International Leading Stars for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 1,101-1,200) 1,125 $72,618,584
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 801-900) 896 $208,136,702
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Based on Real Life Events Movies (Rank 1,201-1,300) 1,264 $38,510
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Live Action Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 960 $135,556,628
Top International Leading Stars for Live Action Movies (Rank 1,401-1,500) 1,446 $72,618,584
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Live Action Movies (Rank 1,101-1,200) 1,169 $208,175,212
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 601-700) 611 $135,518,118
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Factual Movies (Rank 101-200) 126 $38,510
Top International Leading Stars for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 901 $72,618,584
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Contemporary Fiction Movies (Rank 701-800) 722 $208,136,702
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Factual Movies (Rank 101-200) 129 $38,510
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Comedy Movies (Rank 301-400) 372 $104,029,443
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Drama Movies (Rank 1,001-1,100) 1,089 $9,732,512
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Thriller/Suspense Movies (Rank 401-500) 463 $21,756,163
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Documentary Movies 81 $38,510
Top International Leading Stars for Comedy Movies (Rank 301-400) 340 $71,777,740
Top International Leading Stars for Drama Movies (Rank 2,001-2,100) 2,006 $840,844
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Comedy Movies (Rank 301-400) 349 $175,807,183
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Drama Movies (Rank 1,501-1,600) 1,575 $10,573,356
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Thriller/Suspense Movies (Rank 501-600) 583 $21,756,163
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Documentary Movies 84 $38,510
Top Domestic Leading Stars for PG-13 Movies (Rank 701-800) 773 $104,383,546
Top Domestic Leading Stars for R Movies (Rank 1,201-1,300) 1,201 $31,134,572
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Not Rated Movies (Rank 1,601-1,700) 1,652 $38,510
Top International Leading Stars for PG-13 Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 917 $71,777,740
Top International Leading Stars for R Movies (Rank 2,301-2,400) 2,322 $840,844
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for PG-13 Movies (Rank 801-900) 853 $176,161,286
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for R Movies (Rank 1,501-1,600) 1,504 $31,975,416
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Not Rated Movies (Rank 2,501-2,600) 2,531 $38,510
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Warner Bros. Movies (Rank 801-900) 867 $21,756,163
Top Domestic Leading Stars for Paramount Pictures Movies (Rank 201-300) 278 $104,029,443
Top International Leading Stars for Paramount Pictures Movies (Rank 301-400) 318 $71,777,740
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Warner Bros. Movies (Rank 901-1,000) 929 $21,756,163
Top Worldwide Leading Stars for Paramount Pictures Movies (Rank 201-300) 297 $175,807,183

All Technical Credits