Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Hadestown is a famous musical show on Broadway in New York. Now, a movie of the live show is playing in theaters.
The movie made $10.2 million on its opening weekend. This is the most money ever made by a Broadway show movie on its first weekend.
Before this, the record was held by a movie of the musical Hamilton. Hadestown made just a little more money.
So many people wanted to watch the movie that the company decided to keep it in theaters for a long time. At first, they only planned to show it for five days.
- musical
- a show that tells a story using songs and singing
- Broadway
- the famous theater district in New York City
- movie
- a film shown in theaters or on screens
- opening weekend
- the first few days a movie is shown in theaters
- record
- the best result ever achieved
- company
- a business that makes or sells something
- theaters
- places where movies or shows are performed
- planned
- decided in advance what would happen
Level 2 — Elementary
A live-capture film of the hit Broadway musical Hadestown has become the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a filmed stage show.
The movie, released by the distributor Bleecker Street, earned $10.2 million from nearly 2,000 theaters over its first weekend, narrowly beating the previous record set by a film version of Hamilton, which opened to $10.1 million in 2025.
Hadestown, written by Anaïs Mitchell, tells a modern retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, and has won multiple Tony Awards including Best Musical.
Demand for tickets was so strong that what had originally been planned as a limited five-day theatrical event has now been extended indefinitely, allowing more fans across the country to see the acclaimed production on the big screen.
- live-capture
- a film recording of a live stage performance
- distributor
- a company that releases a film to theaters
- narrowly
- by a very small amount or margin
- retelling
- a new version of a story told again in a different way
- myth
- a traditional story, often about gods or heroes
- Tony Awards
- the top annual prizes given for achievement in Broadway theater
- demand
- the desire of the public to buy or see something
- acclaimed
- praised highly by critics or the public
Level 3 — Intermediate
A live-capture film of Hadestown, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, has claimed the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend ever recorded for a filmed stage production.
Released by the independent distributor Bleecker Street under its event-cinema label, the film grossed $10.2 million from just shy of 2,000 screens, narrowly surpassing the $10.1 million opening notched by a 2025 film version of Hamilton, previously theatrical live-capture's benchmark title.
Written by Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown reimagines the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a folk-and-jazz-inflected fable set in a depression-era underworld, and it swept multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical, upon its Broadway debut.
The scale of audience demand caught even the distributor by surprise: what had been conceived as a strictly limited five-day theatrical event has since been extended indefinitely, a decision reflecting the broader appetite for high-quality captures of celebrated stage productions among audiences unable to see them live in New York.
- claimed
- achieved or won, often used for records or titles
- independent distributor
- a film distribution company not owned by a major Hollywood studio
- grossed
- earned in total revenue before expenses
- notched
- achieved or recorded, especially an accomplishment
- benchmark
- a standard or point of reference used for comparison
- reimagines
- presents an existing story or idea in a new and creative way
- inflected
- given a particular quality or tone
- appetite
- a strong desire or interest in something
Level 4 — Advanced
A live-capture film of Hadestown, the Tony Award-sweeping Broadway musical, has seized the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend ever logged by a filmed stage production, a milestone that underscores the growing commercial viability of theatrical event cinema.
Distributed by the independent outfit Bleecker Street under its dedicated event-cinema banner, the film grossed $10.2 million across nearly 2,000 screens, edging past the $10.1 million debut notched in 2025 by a filmed version of Hamilton, which had until now stood as the benchmark for the format.
Composed by Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown recasts the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a folk-and-jazz-inflected fable set within a depression-era underworld, a reinvention that propelled the production to a sweep of Tony Awards, including Best Musical, upon its original Broadway run.
The sheer magnitude of audience demand appears to have outstripped even the distributor's expectations: a theatrical release initially conceived as a strictly bounded five-day engagement has since been extended indefinitely, a reversal that speaks to a broader, previously underestimated appetite for premium captures of celebrated stage productions among audiences without ready access to New York's theater district.
- seized
- took hold of quickly and firmly, often figuratively
- commercial viability
- the capacity of something to succeed financially in the marketplace
- outfit
- an informal term for a company or organization
- recasts
- presents something familiar in a new form or role
- reinvention
- the act of changing something so much that it seems new
- magnitude
- the great size or extent of something
- outstripped
- exceeded or surpassed by a significant amount
- premium
- of exceptionally high quality
.jpg%3Fwidth%3D800&w=3840&q=75)
Talk about this article with KatePractice this story's vocabulary in a real spoken conversation with your AI tutor