‘West Side Story’ Tops Box Office With Tepid $10.6 Million
‘West Side Story’ Tops Box Office With Tepid $10.5 Million Debut
(Bloomberg) -- Walt Disney Co.’s “West Side Story” -- a musical remake directed by Steven Spielberg -- topped the North American box office in a disappointing debut against little competition.
“West Side Story” made $10.6 million in its domestic opening weekend, researcher Comscore Inc. said Monday. That missed the $13.2 million forecast from Boxoffice Pro -- and Disney’s own projected range, which started at $12 million.
The “West Side Story” reboot struggled to attract a big audience despite critical acclaim. The film is hardly alone in that regard -- few movies have managed to connect with a broad range of demographics during the pandemic, contributing to a slow recovery for cinemas.
The movie was aimed at both older theatergoers, familiar with the 1961 production, and younger fans, thanks to lead actors Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose. The original film, based on the hit Broadway show, won 10 Oscars, including best supporting actress for Rita Moreno, who also appears in the new version. It tells the story of lovers, one White, one Puerto Rican, amid gang wars in New York of the 1950s.
The remake is among a smattering of new musicals that have premiered this year. “In the Heights,” based on the play by Lin-Manuel Miranda, made $11.5 million in a June domestic opening muted by a simultaneous release on the streaming service HBO Max. Last month Netflix Inc. put out the Miranda-directed “tick, tick...BOOM!,” a backstory about the composer who created the musical “Rent.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner wrote the screenplay of the latest “West Side Story.” About 93% of critics recommended the movie, according to Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the first Spielberg-directed film since 2018’s “Ready Player One,” which grossed $41.8 million in its opening weekend.
Disney’s “Encanto” -- which also features songs from Miranda -- came in second place domestically with nearly $10 million. Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was third, with $7.1 million.
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