| re: Deadline.com on weekend box office: 'Dear Evan Hansen' weeps | |
| Posted by: mikem 08:09 am EDT 09/26/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Deadline.com on weekend box office: 'Dear Evan Hansen' weeps - Delvino 07:13 am EDT 09/26/21 | |
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| There are lots of factors that might be related to DEH's lackluster box office. Certainly the poor reviews were an issue, although the film got an "A-" from CinemaScore, which polls first-night theatergoers, so people who went were happy with what they saw. Some hypothesize that this is just the wrong time in the world for this type of film; the movies doing well at the box office are generally escapist. although that was true in pre-pandemic times as well. And too much of the social media narrative ended up being about Ben Platt's age; when the NY Times has an article with a headline of "Ben Platt Isn't the Oldest Adult to Play a Teenager Onscreen," the film has a problem. I find it interesting that so many of the negative reviews have major issues with the premise, which got some flak for the stage reviews but not nearly to the extent that we are seeing now. I wonder if changes over the past few years have contributed to that shift. I think there's a lot more talk now about needing to take personal responsibility for how your actions affect other people. The idea that the lead character can behave badly but all is forgiven as long as he has learned something by the end, the redemption arc, is the premise for many a film, but I think it plays out somewhat differently nowadays. Delvino is right that the film likely has little international appeal, so it will be a financial failure, although a relatively manageable one given its reasonable budget. But both wide release musicals this summer, In the Heights and DEH, have disappointed at the box office. I hope West Side Story is a big hit, to confirm that there is a movie audience for a musical. |
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