West Side Story (2021 film)

West Side Story
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteven Spielberg
Screenplay byTony Kushner
Based onWest Side Story
by Jerome Robbins
Leonard Bernstein
Stephen Sondheim
Arthur Laurents
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJanusz Kamiński
Edited by
Music byLeonard Bernstein
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Studios[4]
Release dates
Running time
156 minutes[5]
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
Budget$100 million[6]
Box office$76 million[7][8]

West Side Story is a 2021 American musical romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner. The second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical,[9][10] which was itself inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, it stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, the latter making her film debut, with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno in supporting roles. Moreno, who starred in the 1961 film adaptation, also served as an executive producer alongside Kushner.[3] The film features music composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.

The film entered development in 2014 at 20th Century Fox;[11] Kushner began writing the screenplay in 2017.[12] In January 2018, Spielberg was hired and casting began that September. Justin Peck choreographed the dance sequences. Principal photography occurred in New York and New Jersey; filming began in July 2019 and ran for two months.

West Side Story had its world premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York City on November 29, 2021, three days after Sondheim's death.[13] The film was later theatrically distributed by 20th Century Studios[14] in the United States on December 10, after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][15] The film received critical acclaim with praise for the performances of the cast, Spielberg's direction, the musical numbers, the visual style and the cinematography, with some critics deeming it superior to the 1961 film. It was named one of the top ten films of 2021 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.[16][17] Among its multiple awards and nominations, it received seven nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, with DeBose winning Best Supporting Actress.[18] However, the film was a box office bomb, grossing only $76 million against a $100 million production budget, and an estimated $300 million break even target.

Since its release, it has been cited as one of the best musical films of all time.[a]

  1. ^ a b Murphy, J. Kim (December 11, 2021). "Box Office: 'West Side Story' Opening on Top With Concerning $10 Million Debut". Variety. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference VarietyReview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "West Side Story (2021) Press Kit" (PDF). Assets.gettyimages.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Vary, Adam (January 17, 2020). "Disney Drops Fox Name, Will Rebrand as 20th Century Studios, Searchlight Pictures". Variety. Archived from the original on January 19, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "West Side Story at United Cinemas Bayfair". United Cinemas Bayfair. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  6. ^ Donnelly, Matt; Lang, Brent (August 13, 2019). "Fox Feels the Pressure From Disney as Film Flops Mount". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 30, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  7. ^ "West Side Story (2021)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  8. ^ "West Side Story (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Roberts, Maddy Shaw (June 19, 2019). "West Side Story remake by Steven Spielberg: 2020 UK release date, cast and soundtrack revealed". ClassicFM.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Laurents, Arthur (2009). Mainly on directing: Gypsy, West Side Story, and other musicals. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 349. ISBN 978-0-307-27088-7.
  11. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 5, 2014). "Fox Revives West Side Story for Steven Spielberg as Town Ponders Stacey Snider Move and DreamWorks' Future". Deadline. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  12. ^ Teeman, Tim (July 19, 2017). "Tony Kushner: Why I'm Writing a Play About Donald Trump". Daily Beast. New York City: IBT Media. Archived from the original on February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Appler, Michael (November 30, 2021). ""Steven Spielberg and 'West Side Story' Cast Remember Stephen Sondheim's Legacy at New York Premier"". Variety. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  14. ^ Barnes, Brooks (December 12, 2021). "Spielberg's 'West Side Story' Opens to Tepid Box Office Receipts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021. ...Disney, which released "West Side Story" on its 20th Century Studios label...
  15. ^ Lang, Brent; Rubin, Rebecca (September 23, 2020). "Black Widow, West Side Story, Eternals Postpone Release Dates". Variety. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  16. ^ "AFI AWARDS 2021". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  17. ^ "2021 Archives". National Board of Review. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  18. ^ Cohn, Gabe (February 8, 2022). "2022 Oscars Nominees List". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "The 35 Best Musicals Of All Time". Screen Rant. February 3, 2020.
  20. ^ "The 60 Best Movie Musicals of All Time, Ranked". IndieWire. August 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "We Ranked the 67 Best Movie Musicals of All Time, From 'West Side Story' to '8 Mile'". Parade. October 6, 2023.
  22. ^ "Quentin Tarantino's 20 favourite films of the 21st Century". Far Out. November 22, 2022.
  23. ^ "The 40 best musical movies of all time". Time Out. April 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "26 of the best movie musicals of all time". Today. September 21, 2022.
  25. ^ "The 30 Best Musicals of All Time, Ranked". Collider. May 11, 2023.
  26. ^ Freer, Ian (April 3, 2022). "West Side Story Is Spielberg's Best Film In Years – It's Time The World Caught Up". Empire. Retrieved September 12, 2023.


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