Director Steven Spielberg returns to cinema with his passion adaptation of the musical West Side Story [WSDST]. The 1961 original won 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. The remake is a leading Oscar contender with nearly universal rave reviews from critics. Originally set to open a year ago, the PG-13 rated film was delayed due to the pandemic. Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler star as star-crossed lovers, but the main draw is the musical with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim who recently passed away. Adult fares have suffered at the box office, but Disney hopes musical fans will turn out for the classic romance. Playing in 2820 theaters, West Side Story could earn $18.0 million.
After two weeks at the top, Encanto [ENCNT] will finish second with around $7.5 million.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife [GHST4] looks to capture another $6.0 million in its fourth weekend, while House of Gucci [GUCCI] could bank another $4.0 million in its third weekend.
The R-rated sports drama National Champions [NCHMP] is the weekend’s other new wide release. Unfortunately, STX doesn’t have much money to spend on marketing as the debt-ladened distributor is in the process of being sold. National Champions may walk away with $1.5 million from 1197 locations.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): WSDST, ENCNT, GHST4, GUCCI, NCHMP