Daily Podcast: Why Did Steven Spielberg's West Side Story Underperform 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 this weekend's box office, and more specifically the financial 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 "The Greatest Showman" debuted to 8.8 million, the soundtrack went trending and ended with $436 million globally)

    • Why do you think it underperformed? Why weren't 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. That's another musical, skewing younger and it hasn't hit big Disney numbers.

Also mentioned:

All the other stuff you need to know:

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