Steven Spielberg's remake of adapting West Side Story has been a desire since childhood. Spielberg has even updated and adapted various parts of the new movie, most notably in its representation of the Puerto Rican community, the Sharks, by choosing to reposition the characters as young men protecting their community from xenophobic threats.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and based on Jerome Robbins' musical with lyrics from the late Stephen Sondheim, Spielberg's adaptation of West Side Story stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as Tony and Maria, two teenagers living in a culturally divided New York City in 1957. Their blossoming love affair after meeting at a high school dance inevitably comes into direct duress when two communities, the Sharks and Jets, come into conflict. Robbins' original musical had previously been brought to the silver screen in 1961's West Side Story starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer, and resulted in an Academy Award for Best Director and Best Picture for directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins.
As audiences took to theaters this weekend, West Side Story could amass $31M on its opening weekend.
The performance of West Side Story is comparable to that of another musical released in 2021, its low box office turnout of just $11.5M. The concurrent release of many new movies in theaters and on streaming platforms have been seen across the film industry since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and has revealed a shift in the traditional theatrical release window.
Yet, Spielberg's movie is a solely theatrical release, so another conclusion is required. Given its positive reviews, it already triumphs over 2019's holiday-season musical, Spider-Man: No Way Home on December 15, competition for box office receipts is right around the corner.
Source: Deadline
