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

<p>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.</p> <p>Opening Banter: Ryan introduces himself.</p> <p>In The News:</p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;">Ryan: <a href='https://www.slashfilm.com/705374/west-side-story-box-office-is-not-music-to-the-film-industrys-ears/'>West Side Story Box Office Is Not Music To The Film Industry's Ears</a><ul><li style="font-weight:400;">Ryan runs down weekend box office</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Can award buzz save it? </li> <li style="font-weight:400;">This is not the end: (2017’s Great Showman debuted to 8.8 million, soundtrack went trending and ended with $436 m global) </li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Why do you think it underperformed? Why werent people interested in this one?<ul><li style="font-weight:400;">Hannah thinks its bad marketing despite great reviews?</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Are movie musicals on a decline? (this year Dear Evan Hanson, In The Heights)</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Is it just the pandemic?</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Older audiences</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Are younger audiences not interested in stories about forbidden Interracial romance</li> </ul> </li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Has Spielberg lost touch with what audiences want? (The BFG, Ready Player One, Crystal Skull, Tintin)</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">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.<ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><a href='https://www.slashfilm.com/705482/encanto-hits-digital-just-in-time-for-christmas-blu-ray-early-next-year'>Encanto Hits Digital Just In Time For Christmas, Blu-Ray Early Next Year</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>A