Warner Bros. looks to repeat its day-n-date opening success with In the Heights [INHTS], a feature adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical. Delayed for a year by the pandemic, the PG-13 rated musical is available on HBO Max and in theaters on the same day, which was pushed up to Thursday at the last minute. The film has received excellent reviews and the hope is that strong word of mouth will drive the weekend box office. The musical has a built-in fanbase as well as a broader audience that enjoyed Miranda’s Hamilton. Hispanic moviegoers could also support the film the same way Asian moviegoers came out for director Jon M Chu’s last film Crazy Rich Asians. Likely showing in over 3000 theaters, In the Heights may reach $24 million.
Sony will also release its long-delayed Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway [PRAB2]. The PG-rated family film is the sequel to Peter Rabbit, which debuted in February 2018 with $25 million. Although family films have been solid at the box office, their weekends during the pandemic have not broken out of the teens. Some parents may still be leery of bringing their unvaccinated kids to theaters. Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway could nab $18 million from 3346 theaters.
As with most horror sequel, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It [CNJU3] is likely to drop more than 55% from its opening to about $10 million.
After a mighty second weekend tumble, A Quiet Place Part II [AQPL2] should level off a bit for its third weekend and cross the $100 million mark with $9 million.
Cruella [CRULA] could round up another $6 million during its third outing.
Spirit Untamed [SPRDF] may be able to hold around 55% of its debut for a sophomore session at $3.5 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): INHTS, PRAB2, CNJU3, AQPL2, CRULA, SPRDF