Box Office: 'Dear Evan Hansen' Hits Wrong Notes as 'Shang-Chi' Stays No. 1
The Peninsula
LOS ANGELES - "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.
