"Steven Spielberg’s #WestSideStory has made only $29.6 million in North America and $47 million worldwide, a disastrous result considering the acclaimed movie cost $100 million to produce "
https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1477965463141457920
What did he expect? Remaking a beloved old musical that won many Oscars in the age of pigs like Beyonce and Britney Spears parading themselves around like hookers.
Hollywood, in general, has been doing too many remakes/reboots of older classic films for its own good. I wish they'd stop, already.
shareBtw, modica: Did you get to attend the 60th Anniversary screening of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story when it played in selective movie theatres throughout the United States, on Sunday, November 28th, and on Wednesday, December 1st? Just curious, because I saw both evening screenings of the 60th Anniversary screening of the1961 film version of West Side Storry, both with friends, and solo, on a great big wide screen, on a movie theatre here in Boston, and it was fantastic!
The print was absolutely stellar, and the soundtrack was absolutely pristine! I loved it. If you attended the 60th Anniversary screening of the 1961 film version of West Side Story, what did you think of it? A curious, inquiring mind wants to know.
Beyonce indeed tries too hard to what she thinks is hot, but with the Britney nudes I think her family is sneakily trying to get the conservator ship back. I don’t think it will work. Its gonna take more than nudes to get that going again.
Lol! Good point!
shareLet me say this, bozo_500: I don't care for Spielberg's film version of West Side Story either, but I'll just vote my pocketbook and not go to see it at all. That's the only way to go, imho.
shareHow can you say you "don't care for Spielberg's film version of WWS" if you haven't seen it?
shareI've seen parts of Spielberg's film version of West Side Story (on a TV program that emphasized the comparisons between West Side Story 2021 and the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story, and I've also listened to the entire soundtrack of Spielberg's West Side Story, plus I've seen both trailers and a number of photographs, and, in addition to the s**t that came out about Ansel Elgort, I'm voting my pocketbook and not going to see it. I generally get a good idea of whether or not I wish to see a movie by seeing a trailer, seeing parts of or previews of it, and listening to the soundtrack, all of which I did, prior to re-enforcing my decision to not see Spielberg's West Side Story.
shareBFG
shareThings are looking a LOT worse for WSS than BFG at the moment.
BFG Budget: $140 million
BFG Box office: $195.2 million (about $140 million of that came from overseas)
WSS Budget: $100 million
WSS Box Office: $50 million (approximately so far, and World Wide, as far as I can tell)
Only at 53m now. this thing is toast
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Needed more diversity and inclusion.
Why has Steven Spielberg's 2021 release of West Side Story been such an enormous box office failure even though it has exceptionally high critical ratings?
https://www.quora.com/Why-has-Steven-Spielbergs-2021-release-of-West-Side-Story-been-such-an-enormous-box-office-failure-even-though-it-has-exceptionally-high-critical-ratings
They picked a bad time to release it - The pandemic was an unpredicted event and it changed the way that consumers both spend money and how they spend their free time. While audiences are slowly returning to theaters, that seems to be helping action and adventures films like Spider-Man and not drama and especially musicals like West Side Story. Had this come out in early 2020 or perhaps later in 2022, it might have hit. However Disney and Spielberg seem to have anticipated that returns were going to be somewhat “soft”, and so they went for a release at a time when the film might be able to net Oscars and Golden Globes rather than profits. Better timing = Better profits.share
I don't know if it will end as a bomb or not.
I just know.....I've already seen "West Side Story" with Natalie Wood. The music score is a classic.
I have ZERO desire to see a reboot of this classic film.
This era of rebooting every movie from the last 40 years is just mind numbing to me.
I agree with you, Hans-Wilheim. The old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story is the real deal for me, and it's my all time favorite movie, hands down. I've admittedly seen it more times than I'm able or willing to count, but then again, who's counting?
When the original 1961 film version of West Side Story had 2 days of the 60th Anniversary screening at selected movie theatres throughout the United States, I went, both with friends, and solo, and saw both evening screenings of the original 1961 film version of West Side Story at a great movie theatre here in Boston.
It was shown on a great big, wide screen, the print was absolutely stellar, with not a scratch anywhere on it, and the soundtrack to the original 1961 film version of West Side Story was absolutely pristine, to boot! It was such fun to see such a great golden oldie-but-keeper of a classic movie-musical on a great big, wide screen, in a real movie theatre, with the lights down low, and to share the whole experience with a bunch of other people, whether one knows them or not.
1941 almost grossed its budget in North America, and surpassed it by about 160% worldwide... West Side Story hasn't come close to the budget on the worldwide gross. Hell even John Carter the emphasis Disney box office bomb managed to get a worldwide gross greater than its budget. Most directors would be destined to work in TV after a turd like this.
shareGiven the fact that Spielberg's film version of West Side Story did so poorly in the box office overall, it's not surprising that Spielberg's West Side Story has failed to even come close to the budget on the worldwide gross. It also indicates something else, as well: That not nearly as many people are interested in seeing a reboot/remake/re-adaptation of the old, original 1961 film version of West Side Story that won ten well-deserved and well-earned Academy Awards, including Best Picture, when it came out into the movie theatres in October of 1961.
I never did see "1941", so I can't compare it with anything.
Don't ever waste your time with 1941, I saw it in the theater when it came out and it was jumbled mess that proved one thing beyond a doubt - Spielberg can't do comedies. At least I think it was supposed to be a comedy. Thinking back about all I remember is John Belushi who had done Animal House the year before and was considered funny as hell was completely wasted in the movie. That I do recall them trying to make a joke out of an army general that cried watching Bambi..
shareHi, thomas998. Thank you for the heads-up about 1941. From what I've read/heard about this particular film, it doesn't sound like a good film to waste one's time watching. With some rather rare exceptions, Spielberg's best films are those that are based on historical events (i. e. Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich, The Post, for example). I also liked E. T. Extraterrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind was also interesting.
Anyway, thank you for writing back. Good to hear from you.