Bleecker Street’s Hadestown: The Musical made a spectacular debut, sweeping to the second biggest opening for a live show capture since Hamilton, with a staggering $9.7 million in its opening weekend on 1,949 screens. The distributor, Bleecker Street, announced that due to the ‘extraordinary response and demand,’ their new event cinema label Crosswalk and partner LD Entertainment are expanding the initial five-day run and continuing to add dates and showtimes.
The film adaptation of the stage production, written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, boasts a Certified Fresh rating with a 99% audience score. The stage production, which won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, features the original principal cast.
The film version, directed by Brett Sullivan, was captured from the West End production and is set to continue its run. Crosswalk, the distributor behind the film, previously had success with the concert documentary Stray Kids: The Dominate Experience earlier this year. Their next scheduled release is George Michael: The Faith Tour later this year.
Motor City from Independent Film Company took the ninth spot with a solid $1.6 million at 1,600 theaters. Potsy Ponciroli’s 1970s Detroit-set revenge drama stars Alan Ritchson.
Notably, The Invite took the sixth spot, Young Washington the eighth, and Obsession the tenth, making five indie films top the domestic box office. Neon’s Her Private Hell by Nicolas Winding Refn opened to $530k on 675 screens, while Sheep In The Box by Hirokazu Koreeda is eyeing $33k from 3 screens.
A Sad And Beautiful World from Watermelon Pictures debuted to $9k at the Quad in NYC with limited showings, reporting multiple sellouts. American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez added a dozen theaters across the Los Angeles area in week 2 while continuing its run at the Film Forum in New York. The Insignia Films release directed by David Alvarado, with booking support from mTuckman media, is estimated to gross $32.3k on 13 screens this weekend for a cume of $41.4k.
Greenwich Entertainment’s Reading Lolita in Tehran grossed $47.5k at 13 locations in week 2 for a $73.5k cume.
The success of Hadestown: The Musical and other indie films demonstrates the growing popularity of event cinema and the demand for unique, high-quality film experiences.
