Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story got off to a slow start this weekend, ultimately accruing $10.5 million from 2,820 theaters. That total was enough to put the musical remake atop the domestic box office, ahead of Encanto ($9.42 million/$71.3 million total), Ghostbusters: Afterlife ($7.1 million/$112 million), and House of Gucci ($4.06 million/$41 million), but it’s still a relatively disappointing start for a surefire Oscar contender and critical darling.
Per Deadline, the hope is that West Side Story legs out like The Greatest Showman, which earned $8 million on its opening weekend but eventually accrued $436 million worldwide back in 2017. Of course, as noted by the trade, Showman had the benefit of a pop-heavy soundtrack, while West Side Story’s tunes are direct lifts from the 1957 Broadway production and popular 1961 Robert Wise musical. With an “A” CinemaScore, stellar reviews, and plenty of positive Oscar buzz, it’ll be interesting to see how high Spielberg’s latest can fly.
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Don’t blame the pandemic on this one, audiences are clearly willing to flock to theaters for spectacle, as the highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home is expected to rake in Star Wars/Avengers-sized bucks this weekend.
1.) West Side Story (20th/Dis) 2,820 theaters, Fri $4.1M/Saturday $3.8M/ Sunday $2.6M/3-day $10.5M/Wk 1
2.) Encanto (Dis) 3,750 (-230) theaters, Fri $2.2M (-28%)/ Saturday $4.4M/Sunday $2.82M/3-day $9.42M (-28%), Total $71.3M/Wk 3
3.) Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony) 3,815 (-244) theaters, Fri $1.7M (-37%)/Sat $3.38M/Sun $2M/3-day $7.1M (-38%) Total: $112M/Wk 4
4.) House of Gucci (UAR/MGM) 3,407 (-70) theaters, /Fri $1.27M (-42%)/Sat $1.69M/Sun $1.099M/3-day $4.06M (-42%)/Total: $41M/Wk 3
5.) Eternals (Dis) 3,030 (-200) theaters, Fri $800K (-27%)/Saturday $1.4M/Sun $900K/ 3-day $3.1M (-26%)/Total $161.2M/Wk 6
6.)Resident Evil: Raccoon City (Sony) 2,572 (-231) theaters, Fri $455K (-40%)/ Sat $735K/Sun $460K/ 3-day $1.65M (-39%) Total $15.85M/Wk 3
7.) Clifford the Big Red Dog (Par) 2,840 (-421) theaters, Fri $265K (-38%)/Sat $630K/Sun $430K/3-day $1.325M (-30%)/Total $47.7M/Wk 5
8.) Christmas With the Chosen… (Fath) 1,600 (-100) theaters, Fri $465K /Sat $425K/Sun $392K/3-day $1.28M (-62%)/Total $13.8M /Wk 2
9.)Dune (WB/Leg) 948 (-269) theaters, Fri $220K/Sat $375K/Sun $262K/3-day $857K (-54%)/ Total $106.2M/Wk 8
10.) Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Sony) 1,003 (-231) theaters, Fri $215K/Sat $375K/Sun $260K/ 3-day: $850K (-15%)/Total $212.05M/Wk 11
