Posted on 12/12/2021 10:43:05 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
"West Side Story" had little to sing about this weekend.
20th Century Studios' remake of the 1961 classic musical brought in an estimated $10.5 million for its opening in North America this weekend. This total was below expectations, which projected the film to make closer to $15 million in its debut weekend.
The total is a bit surprising considering that the film had a lot working in its favor. For starters, it is directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the most recognizable and blockbuster directors in history. His name alone appeared to not be enough to get people to buy a ticket.
Great reviews also weren't enough. The film, which has a stellar 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, garnered critical acclaim as well as early Oscar buzz. Yet, despite getting an "A" CinemaScore from those who saw it, the box office returns are lackluster at best.
The film could have some legs in theaters over the next few weeks as the holidays kick in and more families have time to hit the theater, but so far the movie has failed to find an audience...
"West Side Story" could have faltered this weekend due to myriad factors. There may have been concerns over coronavirus variants, older audiences have been somewhat reluctant to return to theaters compared to younger ticket buyers, and musicals have struggled at the box office of late.
Recent film adaptations of Broadway musicals, such as "In The Heights," "Dear Evan Hansen" and "Cats," all disappointed at the box office, with each bringing in less than $30 million in domestic ticket sales, according to Comscore (SCOR). And while musicals have also experienced some big hits, including "La La Land," "The Greatest Showman" and "Mamma Mia!," it appears "West Side Story" has so far fallen in the former category.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Spielberg make a PC film in an era where musicals just don’t work much anymore. It would have been better if Netflix, Amazon, or one of the other streaming networks had bought it and shown it there. I believe it would have had a bigger audience .
Also some pictures can’t remade, they need to be left alone, trying to improve on the original ws not possible.
No one in the entertainment world seems to have imagination, originality, or the talent to produce something NEW.
What emerges as “new” is often offensive, and shocking.
There is a gaping hole in the artistic world.
Too much attention paid to slapping down idiotic problems.
And the reruns are getting a little boring.
Can’t remake that picture either
“Spielberg’s new film tries to make it right”
Here’s how, from the article:
1. Natalie Wood played Maria in the 1961 film, with Marni Nixon’s voice dubbed in for all the heroine’s songs. Neither one of them was Puerto Rican, or even Latina; most of the movie’s cast wasn’t, either.
2. There’s no one wearing brownface in this movie
3. The words to an iconic song have changed [so Puerto Rico is not portrayed negatively]
4. Valentina, the new character written for this movie, is a widow running her store and trying to navigate life between two cultures. And everyone who lives in their neighborhood — Sharks and Jets alike — is about to get evicted so wrecking balls can tear down their homes to make way for the construction of Lincoln Center.
5. Spanish is spoken much more — and with a Puerto Rican accent
6. ... to make sure the Spanish phrases were written and used correctly.
The movie might do better if it were classified as a documentary.
So the “critics” loved it? Louis B. Mayer of MGM once said, “Show me a movie the critics love and I’ll show you a movie no one wants to see”.
Spielberg refused to allow subtitles for the Spanish dialogue because that would be tantamount to saying English is superior. So, f him and his remake. Also, writer Tony Kushner is a disgusting POS.
How many times can you retell the same lame story?
No subtitles?
Does Spielberg think we should all go learn Spanish just so we can see bis movie and understand all dialogue?
Why go see a remake when the original is available? Remakes are always poor copies.
Spielberg lost all credibility with me when he cast his wife, Kate Capshaw, in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”
That! and his remake of ET replacing all the guns with handheld radios.
Like life in general, the entertainment industry has about a 90% failure rate. 90% of productions will lose money, 10% will pay all the bills. Because of that, anything with a little win to it will get beaten to death.
yes, that’s what i think. the original was the one i want to remember.
Coming to America has lost it’s romance.
I'm a fan of both Marni Nixon and Jimmy Bryant, so tough act to follow imo.
West Side Story - Tonight Quintet and Chorus (1961) HD (3:19 min., video)
West Side Story - 12. Quintet (3:25 min., no video)
Maybe they’re tired of people remaking and destroying old favorites? I don’t like musicals so I won’t be seeing it.
Stupid choice for a “re”-make which.. it is not. Script alone would tell one that.
To me, that generally means avoid because it's probably queer to the bone.
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