NEW YORK (AP) — Just when a party was poised to break out in movie theaters, the below-expectation debut of “In the Heights” dampened Hollywood’s …
NEW YORK (AP) — Just when a party was poised to break out in movie theaters, the below-expectation debut of “In the Heights” dampened Hollywood’s hopes of a swift or smooth recovery at the summer box office. Jon M. Chu’s exuberant adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical opened with a modest $11.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Forecasts had ranged from $15-$20 million. The release of “In the Heights” — a lavish song-and-dance musical accompanied by glowing reviews from critics and considered a milestone movie for Latinos — was widely seen as a cultural event. On opening weekend, though, the Warner Bros. release narrowly missed the top spot. Instead, “A Quiet Place Part II” edged it with $11.7 million in its third weekend of release. (It’s close enough that the order could flip when final figures are released Monday.) On Friday, John Krasinski’s thriller — playing only in theaters — became the first film of the pandemic to reach $100 million domestically. Its cumulative total is $109 million. Sony’s “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway,” a film originally planned to open around Easter 2020, also opened softly, debuting with an estimated $10.4 million. After a string of good box office weekends, the opening of “In the Heights” was a reminder of the challenges of the marketplace. Most theaters are operating at reduced capacities to allow social distancing. Canada’s theaters are largely closed. And getting crowds to come out for a movie that was simultaneously streaming on HBO Max, as “In the Heights” was, adds another complication. Starring a mostly fresh-face cast including Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace, “In the Heights” didn’t have the star power of musicals such as “Mamma Mia!” to give it a boost.
