Expert explains why ‘In the Heights’ may yet have legs after dismal opening

“In the Heights,” the feature film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, failed to topple “A Quiet Place Part II” from the top spot at the box office this weekend. Coming in below analyst projections of $20 million, it brought in a measly $11.4 million, according to estimates from measurement firm comScore.

The result is particularly unexpected considering the musical, which premiered simultaneously in theatres and on streaming service HBO Max, earned an A rating on Cinemascore and a 96 per cent “fresh” score on the review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

How to explain the disappointing opening? comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian, who has witnessed all kinds of box office twists and turns in his years observing movie releases, weighs in.

“We’re still in the middle of a learning process when it comes to the theatrical performance of films that have a hybrid release strategy,” he said. “Musicals have a fairly mixed track record at the box office. Despite the high hopes and general enthusiasm for the film, this debut should not be the only metric for success.”

The “In the Heights” team can also take heart from the past example of the musical “The Greatest Showman.” Its opening weekend — without the competition of a simultaneous streaming release — was just $8.8 million, below “In the Heights.” Yet the Hugh Jackman starring film went on to make $438 million worldwide.

Paramount’s “A Quiet Place” resumed its place atop the box office in its third weekend of release, adding $11.6 million for a cumulative $108.9 million. The John Krasinski film is the first pandemic-era blockbuster to cross the $100million mark in the U.S. and has grossed an impressive $183 million globally.