West Side Story Tops the Box Office Despite Underperforming In Opening Weekend

Steven Spielberg’s remake of the beloved musical  is opening atop the box office this weekend. Yet, it isn’t bringing in the blockbuster numbers that some expected. That’s despite receiving a positive critical reception. West Side Story earned $4.1 million during its first day at the box office. That puts the movie on track for an opening weekend gross of $10.2 million. The new film’s underwhelming debut is in keeping with a pattern among musicals released in 2021. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights opened to only $11.5 million. Dear Evan Hansen also underperformed in its opening weekend, earning $7.5 million.

There is some concern about what the broader implications of West Side Story‘s surprisingly lukewarm opening weekend reception could be. Some wonder if it is a sign of another box office slowdown due to fears about the omicron variant of COVID-19. It seems unlikely to stick for another week with Spider-Man: No Way Home opening on December 17th. The capstone to Marvel Studios’ first Spider-Man trilogy crashed websites with pre-sales for its first weekend. However, we can’t know yet if the omicron news had dampened that enthusiasm. The Matrix Resurrections, though its dual debut in theaters and streaming on HBO Max already complicates measuring expectations for the highly-anticipated sequel. 

Disney’s Encanto, which topped the box office for the past two weekends, slides into the second spot on the chart. Ghostbusters: Afterlife, House of Gucci, and Eternals (soon to become available to stream on Disney+) follow behind, rounding out this weekend’s top five films. Keep reading to see the complete list of the 10 biggest movies at the box office this weekend.

What do you think of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story having a slow start at this weekend’s box office? Have you seen the movie? What did you think? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments section. West Side Story is now playing in theaters. 

1. West Side Story

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $10.2 million

Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks — two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.

Steven Spielberg directs West Side Story from a screenplay written by Tony Kushner, based on the stage musical of the same name by West Side Story by Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents (itself based on William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet). The film stars Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno.

2. Encanto

• Week Three
• Weekend: $9.4 million
• Total: $71.3 million

The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.

Jared Bush and Byron Howard directed Encanto, and writer Charise Castro Smith co-directed. The film feature songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It’s voice cast includes Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow, Angie Cepeda, Carolina Gaitán, Diane Guerrero, and Wilmer Valderrama.

3. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

• Week Four
• Weekend: $6.4 million
• Total: $111.3 million

When a single mother and her two children move to a new town, they soon discover they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

Jason Reitman directs Ghostbusters: Afterlife from a script he co-wrote with Gil Kenan. The film stars Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Logan Kim, Celeste O’Connor, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver.

4. House of Gucci

• Week Three
• Weekend: $4.1 million
• Total: $41.1 million
  

When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge — and ultimately murder.

Ridley Scott directed House of Gucci, based on Sara Gay Forden’s 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed. The film stars Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino.

5. Eternals

• Week Six
• Weekend: $3 million
• Total: $161.1 million
  

The Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, reunite to battle the evil Deviants.

Chloé Zhao directed Eternals from a screenplay she co-wrote with Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, and Kaz Firpo, based on the Marvel Comics created by Jack Kirby. The film stars Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Harish Patel, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.

6. Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers

• Week Two
• Weekend: $1.63 million
• Total: $13.8 million

The Chosen has a new episode! To launch the Christmas season this December, The Chosen has created a special episode about the birth of Christ through the eyes of Mary and Joseph.

You’ll also see an extraordinary lineup of musicians perform both new and classic Christmas songs from the set of The Chosen, including: Phil Wickham, For King & Country, Brandon Lake, Maverick City Music, Cain, Matt Maher, Bryan & Katie Torwalt, Jordan Feliz, We The Kingdom, The Bonner Family, Leanna Crawford, Dawson Hollow, and One Voice Children’s Choir.

7. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

• Week Three
• Weekend: $1.55 million
• Total: $15.7 million
  

Welcome to Raccoon City, once the booming home of pharmaceutical giant Umbrella Corp. The company’s exodus left the city a wasteland, a dying town with great evil brewing below the surface. When that evil is unleashed, a group of survivors must work together to uncover the truth behind Umbrella and make it through the night.

Johannes Roberts directed Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, based on the first two installments of Capcom’s Resident Evil video game series. It stars Kaya Scodelario, Hannah John-Kamen, Robbie Amell, Tom Hopper, Avan Jogia, Donal Logue, and Neal McDonough.

8. Clifford the Big Red Dog

• Week Five
• Weekend: $1.2 million
• Total: $47.6 million

When Emily Elizabeth meets a magical animal rescuer who gives her a little red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant, 10-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. With her single mother away on business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle set out on an adventure that takes a bite out of the Big Apple.

Walt Becker directs Clifford the Big Red Dog, an adaptation of Norman Birdwell’s children’s books series. The film stars Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Russell Wong, Kenan Thompson, and John Cleese.

9. Dune

• Week Eight
• Weekend: $769,000
• Total: $106.1 million
  

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.

Denis Villeneuve directs Dune from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth. based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name. The film’s cast includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.

10. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

• Week 11
• Weekend: $760,000
• Total: $212 Million
  

Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is directed by Andy Serkis and written by Kelly Marcel from a story she co-wrote with Tom Hardy. The film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson.