Box Office: 'Dear Evan Hansen' Hits Wrong Notes as 'Shang-Chi' Stays No. 1
Reuters
Published Sep 26, 2021 11:36AM ET
By Rebecca Rubin
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) - "Dear Evan Hansen," the Universal Pictures adaptation of the smash Broadway musical, didn't strike a chord with moviegoers.
Marred by negative reviews and COVID-19 concerns, the film fell short of expectations and collected a muted $7.5 million from 3,365 North American theaters in its debut. Industry experts predicted the movie musical would make at least $10 million between Friday and Sunday.
Even though the film seems unlikely to turn a profit in theaters, the losses won't be catastrophic. "Dear Evan Hansen" cost $28 million to produce, a modest budget for a musical. That puts Universal in a much better position compared to its last movie musical, "Cats," which opened to $6.5 million in late 2019 and ultimately lost the studio nearly all of its $100 million budget.
The critical response to "Dear Evan Hansen" has been vastly different than the glowing reactions that greeted the 2016 stage version, which netted six Tony Awards and cemented Ben Platt as a star. It underscores the struggle to bring even commercially popular musicals to the big screen. Platt reprised his role as Evan Hansen, an anxious high school student who finds himself tangled in a lie that spirals out of control. Many criticized the casting choice because Platt is 27 years old and doesn't look like a teenager.
At least one positive: Audiences, at least the few who bought a ticket on opening weekend, appeared to like "Dear Evan Hansen" more than critics did. It landed an "A-" CinemaScore from moviegoers, which is exponentially better than its 33% on Rotten Tomatoes. Around 62% of patrons were female, while 53% were, like Platt, over the age of 25.
Given the underwhelming turnout for "Dear Evan Hansen," reigning box office champion "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" had no trouble staying atop domestic charts, even in its fourth weekend of release. The Disney and Marvel superhero adventure added a solid $13.3 million in ticket sales, bringing its domestic tally to $196.5 million, a pandemic record.
After this weekend's haul, "Shang-Chi" surpassed its fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe installment "Black Widow" ($183 million) as the highest-grossing movie of the year. Unlike "Shang-Chi," the Scarlett Johansson-led "Black Widow" wasn't available exclusively in theaters. The film premiered simultaneously on Disney Plus (for a premium $30 fee), where it has generated at least $125 million. Weeks ago, Johansson sued Disney and alleged the movie's hybrid release depressed box office ticket sales and cut into her compensation.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.