Hadestown box office sings with $9.7 million debut
Hadestown: The Musical opened to $9.7 million as indies including Motor City helped crowd the domestic top ten.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Hadestown: The Musical hit a high note at the Hadestown box office, opening with $9.7 million on 1,949 screens and landing at No. 4, according to Deadline.
Bleecker Street released the filmed stage production through Crosswalk, its event cinema label, with LD Entertainment. Deadline reported that the debut ranks as the second-biggest opening for a live show capture since Hamilton.
The distributor said the initial five-day run is being extended because of “extraordinary response and demand,” with more dates and showtimes being added.
How much did Hadestown: The Musical make at the box office?
Hadestown: The Musical opened to $9.7 million from 1,949 screens, according to Deadline, enough for the No. 4 spot at the box office. The filmed musical also carried a Certified Fresh designation and a 99% audience score, Deadline reported.
The screen version was directed by Brett Sullivan and captured from the West End production. Deadline said it features the original principal cast.
The stage musical was written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin. It won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, and later won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
What is Hadestown: The Musical?
Hadestown is a stage musical that became a major awards winner before this filmed version arrived in cinemas. A live show capture records a stage performance for movie theaters, giving audiences a theatrical presentation without being in the room for the live performance.
Crosswalk has already had one event-cinema success this year with the concert documentary Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience, Deadline reported. Its next scheduled release is George Michael: The Faith Tour later this year.
Indies crowd the top ten
Hadestown was not the only specialty release making noise. Deadline reported that Motor City, from Independent Film Company, opened at No. 9 with $1.6 million from 1,600 theaters.
The revenge drama is set in 1970s Detroit, directed by Potsy Ponciroli and stars Alan Ritchson, according to Deadline.
Deadline also pointed to The Invite at No. 6, Young Washington at No. 8 and Obsession at No. 10, putting five independent films in the domestic box office top ten.
Neon’s Her Private Hell, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, opened with $530,000 on 675 screens. The distributor’s Sheep In The Box, from Hirokazu Koreeda, was eyeing $33,000 from three screens, Deadline reported.
Watermelon Pictures opened Cyril Aris’ A Sad And Beautiful World at the Quad in New York, where it debuted to $9,000 with limited showings and multiple sellouts, according to Deadline.
American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez expanded in its second week, adding a dozen theaters around Los Angeles while continuing at Film Forum in New York. Deadline estimated the Insignia Films release at $32,300 from 13 screens for a $41,400 total.
Director David Alvarado and subjects Luis Valdez and Lou Diamond Phillips appeared at select screenings, which Deadline said sold out quickly, with extra Q&As added at select theaters. The documentary, a Sundance Audience Award: U.S. Documentary and Festival Favorite Award winner, moves to the San Francisco Bay area next weekend.
Greenwich Entertainment’s Reading Lolita in Tehran grossed $47,500 from 13 locations in its second week, lifting its total to $73,500, Deadline reported.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.