NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Despite critical acclaim and two years-worth of anticipation, Steven Spielberg's lavish 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� revival made little noise at the box office, debuting with $10.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday 鈥� a worrisome result for a movie industry struggling to recapture its finger-snapping rhythm.
A dazzling widescreen adaptation and Spielberg's first musical, 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� was one of the year's most eagerly awaited titles. With a script by Tony Kushner and Rita Moreno returning to her breakthrough film 60 years later, the $100-million 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� epitomizes a grand-scale prestige film that Hollywood infrequently produces anymore. It hit theaters on a wave of and expectations that .
But 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� faced a challenging marketplace for both adult-driven releases and musicals. Audiences have steadily returned to multiplexes in the second year of the pandemic, but older moviegoers, who made up the bulk of ticket-buyers for Spielberg's latest, have been among the slowest to return.
Musicals, too, have struggled to catch on in theaters. Lin-Manuel Miranda's 鈥淚n the Heights鈥� but the Warner Bros. release simultaneously streamed on HBO Max. The critically panned 鈥淒ear Evan Hansen,鈥� from Universal,
But this was Spielberg. If anyone could reignite moviegoing, the thinking went, it was him. Surely, one of the movies' dazzling craftsmen, a director synonymous with box office, could spark a fuller revival in theaters. 鈥淲est Side Story," too, is among the most beloved musicals. The 1961 film, directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise, made $43.7 million (or about $400 million adjusted for inflation) and won 10 Oscars, including best picture.
鈥淲est Side Story" can still be expected to play well through the lucrative holiday corridor, during which younger-skewing films like 鈥淪pider-Man: No Way Home鈥� (expected to next weekend become the first pandemic release to open with $100 million or more domestically) and 鈥淪ing 2鈥� will likely be the top draws. Film executives are hoping the spreading omicron variant of COVID-19 doesn't set the box office back just as Hollywood is nearing its most profitable period.
But the muted reception for 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� will concern the industry. Hopes had long been pinned on Spielberg, with his song-and-dance spectacular, to bring back some of the movies' mojo. Instead, little right now outside of Marvel releases is finding big audiences. Many moviegoers .
鈥淭o draw moviegoers to adult dramas in huge numbers right now seems like a pretty heavy lift,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. 鈥淭hat will wane over time, but it is concerning for filmmakers and studios.鈥�
鈥淏ut I don't think this is the final act for 鈥榃est Side Story,'" added Dergarabedian. "A lot of people counted out 鈥楾he Greatest Showman.鈥欌��
That 2017 release launched with a modest $8.8 million opening weekend before enjoying a rare, lengthy run that made it, with $435 million worldwide, one of the highest grossing live-action musicals ever. During the pandemic, though, movies have faded quickly at the multiplex, and often been steered more quickly to streaming or home release.
Starring newcomer Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort as Maria and Tony, 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� took in $4.4 million in 37 overseas territories. Because the film includes a transgender character, it was banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.
David A. Gross, who runs the movie consultancy Franchise Entertainment, called the opening "soft.鈥�
鈥淚f 鈥榃est Side Story鈥� is going to be profitable, it will need to connect internationally as well domestically," Gross said in an email. 鈥淪o far, the first European openings have been good, but this is going to be a challenge with moviegoing conditions as difficult as they are."
Spielberg鈥檚 film was a long time coming. Its release was delayed a year by the pandemic. It was developed at 20th Century Fox, which was acquired by the Walt Disney Co. shortly before production began. Days before its Lincoln Center premiere, the musical鈥檚 revered lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, died at the age of 91.
Second place for the weekend went to Disney's animated 鈥淓ncanto,鈥� which held strongly in its third week, dropping only 27% from the previous weekend. It grossed $9.6 from Friday to Sunday, bringing its cumulative total to $71.3 million domestically and $80.5 million internationally.
The weekend's only other new wide release 鈥� STX Films' college football drama 鈥淣ational Champions鈥� 鈥� went largely unnoticed, pulling in $300,000 in 1,197 theaters.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. "West Side Story," $10.5 million.
2. 鈥淓ncanto,鈥� $9.4 million.
3. 鈥淕hostbusters: Afterlife,鈥� $7.1 million.
4. 鈥淗ouse of Gucci,鈥� $4.1 million.
5. 鈥淓ternals,鈥� $3.1 million.
6. 鈥淩esident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City,鈥� $1.7 million.
7. 鈥淐lifford the Big Red Dog,鈥� $1.3 million.
8. 鈥淐hristmas With the Chosen,鈥� $1.3 million.
9. 鈥淒une,鈥� $857,000.
10. 鈥淰enom: Let There Be Carnage,鈥� $850,000.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at:
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
