Worse than the opening theatrical gross — at least in terms of public relations and headlines — was the fact that In the Heights opened in second place behind A Quiet Place Part II, which shot back up to No.
In fact, discovery and word of mouth was always going to have to drive our movie, so we felt we could benefit from the wide availability over time,” Chu tells THR.
In the Heights would have at least been able to claim the domestic box office crown had it not debuted simultaneously on HBO Max considering that only $600,000 stood between it and A Quiet Place II, according to those with access to data.
While parent company WarnerMedia doesn’t reveal viewership numbers, executives within the film studio tell The Hollywood Reporter that In the Heights’ performance was also muted on the streaming service, ranking behind the opening weekend viewership of Denzel Washington crime thriller Little Things, which bowed Jan.
Among all films playing in the home over the June 11-13 weekend — whether via premium VOD or for free on a streaming service — In the Heights ranked third.
Warner Bros.’ controversial decision to debut its entire 2021 slate simultaneously in cinemas and on HBO Max for a month is an ongoing subject of debate as to how much cannibalization exists, now that theaters have reopened on a mass scale.
“My takeaway is that the relative lack of built-in audience and strong dependence on metro markets, some of which are rebounding more slowly than suburban and rural areas, made this drastically less of a must-see film on opening weekend than hoped for,” says Shawn Robbins of BoxOffice Pro.
“Either way, given the discrepancy between strong fan presales and the underwhelming turnout from casual moviegoers and walk-up patrons this weekend, I’m not sure the film would have hit the more optimistic projections out there — including our own — even with an exclusive release in theaters.
Consumers over 35 and especially older females — often the demo that transforms a musical into a hit — are the most reluctant to return to the multiplex, according to NRG surveys.
Several years ago, 20th Century Fox’s musical The Greatest Showman made box office history when opening to a lowly $8.8 million just before Christmas on its way to becoming a January and February sensation.
A decade ago, however, one project that Universal decided not to pursue was In the Heights because of concerns over a proposed budget at that time of $37 million.
In the Heights next landed at Harvey Weinstein’s former company before finding a permanent home at Warner Bros., which brought aboard Chu to direct and OK’d a $50 million-$55 million production budget plus a generous marketing spend.
While Latinos made up 40 percent of all ticket buyers over opening weekend, In the Heights didn’t boast a big turnout in heavily Hispanic markets in Texas, Miami and Southern California that otherwise could have boosted the grosses.