In the Heights had a disappointing box office debut. Image courtesy Warner Media.

By all rights, the first weekend of In the Heights should have done better box office than the third weekend of A Quiet Place Part II, but it didn’t work out that way.

Despite positive reviews and a soundtrack of killer Lin Manuel-Miranda songs, In the Heights only pulled in a mere $11.4 million from 3,456 U.S. theaters in its first four days of release. This is well below expectations heading into the weekend that suggested the film would reach $20 million. The movie also opened on HBO Max, the streaming service owned by the studio’s parent company Warner Media. The company didn’t report its digital viewership.

By contrast, Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II did slightly better in its third weekend, pulling in $11.7 million. The film, which was only released theatrically so far, has taken $109 million thus far – the first release in the post-covid era to surpass $100 million in box office receipts. 

While the dual release may have affected in-theater turnout, it probably isn’t the sole reason that inaugural ticket sales for In the Heights came in under projections. Recent Warner Bros. releases like Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It still pulled in respectable receipts despite being offered simultaneously on streaming. It may be that people have been more inclined to show up for properties with franchise recognition. Despite the popularity of Manuel-Miranda’s Hamilton, his earlier work doesn’t have the same brand recognition.

In other box office news, Warner Bros./New Line’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway came in third and fourth places this weekend, with Conjuring raking in an estimated $10.9 million from 3,237 screens in its second weekend and a 55% drop from its $24.1 million opening.

Peter Rabbit 2 opened exclusively in theaters on 3,346 screens and grossed $4 million on Friday, putting it on track to meet Sony’s pre-release projections with a $10 million opening. Cruella came in fifth place with a take of $6.7 million dollars, for a theatrical haul of $55.95 million so far. Cruella is also available for streaming on Disney Plus, but at an additional $30 surcharge. HBO Max does not charge a premium for simultaneous streaming.