West Side Story started off its North American box office run with $800,000 in Thursday previews. The low-key number isn’t necessarily a surprise for a musical, which depends upon older moviegoers.
Musicals have always been a tricky in terms of box office. The genre is more challenged than ever in the COVID-19 era, considering that consumers over 35 are more nervous than younger consumers regarding returning to the multiplex (all adult-skewing titles have been struggling).
20th Century and Disney are hoping for a weekend domestic debut in the $13 million range, followed by a steady run through the year-end holidays.
Earlier this year, Universal’s musical Dear Evan Hansen earned $800,000 in Thursday previews on its way to a disappointing $7.4 million domestic debut.
West Side Story is hoping for a different fate. It has one of the biggest directors in its corner, as well as stellar reviews.
By Friday, the movie — which began its life at 20th Century Fox before the Disney/Fox merger — will be playing in 2,800 theaters, including 320 Imax locations and 740 premium large-format sites.
West Side Story debuts day-and-date in about half of major foreign markets, including France, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and the U.K.
Directed by Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner, West Side Story tells the story of star-crossed lovers Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) set against the backdrop of feuding white and Puerto Rican gangs in a changing 1957 New York City.
Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James and Rita Moreno — who became the first Latina to win an Oscar for her performance in the 1961 movie — also star in Spielberg’s remake.
