Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story Underperforms At The Box Office

On the December 13, 2021 episode of /Film Daily, /Film editorial director Peter Sciretta is joined by /Film news desk writer Ryan Scott to discuss the this weekend’s box office, and more specifically the failure of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Opening Banter: Ryan introduces himself.

In The News:

• Ryan: West Side Story Box Office Is Not Music To The Film Industry's Ears
  • Ryan runs down weekend box office
  • Can award buzz save it? 
  • This is not the end: (2017’s Great Showman debuted to 8.8 million, soundtrack went trending and ended with $436 m global) 
  • Why do you think it underperformed? Why werent people interested in this one?
    • Hannah thinks its bad marketing despite great reviews?
    • Are movie musicals on a decline? (this year Dear Evan Hanson, In The Heights)
    • Is it just the pandemic?
    • Older audiences
    • Are younger audiences not interested in stories about forbidden Interracial romance
  • Has Spielberg lost touch with what audiences want? (The BFG, Ready Player One, Crystal Skull, Tintin)
  • On the other side of the coin: Disney’s Encanto came out a few weeks ago and WSS barely beat that this weekend. Thats another musical, skewing younger and it hasnt hit big disney numbers.
    • Encanto Hits Digital Just In Time For Christmas, Blu-Ray Early Next Year

 

Also mentioned: 

• Hannah: Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Set To Bomb With $10.5 Million Opening Weekend
• Ryan Scott's Favorite Movies Of All Time

 

All the other stuff you need to know:

• You can find more about all the stories we mentioned on today’s show at slashfilm.com, and linked inside the show notes.

• /Film Daily is published every weekday, bringing you the most exciting news from the world of movies and television as well as deeper dives into the great features from slashfilm.com. 
• You can subscribe to /Film Daily on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the popular podcast apps (RSS). 
• Send your feedback, questions, comments and concerns to us at peter@slashfilm.com. Please leave your name and general geographic location in case we mention the e-mail on the air.
• Please rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, tell your friends and spread the word! 
• Thanks to Sam Hume for our logo.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy