Despite critical acclaim and Steven Spielberg’s pedigree, « West Side Story » could post a lower opening weekend total than « In the Heights »
20th Century Studios’ “West Side Story” is off to a bad start at the box office, as it is not only falling short of box office projections but may even lose the No.1 spot on the charts to the third weekend of Disney’s “Encanto.” Despite the pedigree of director Steven Spielberg and incredibly strong audience and critical reception, this musical with a $100 million production budget grossed a mere $4 million from 2,820 locations on Friday, including $800,000 from Thursday previews. Industry estimates now have the film earning an opening weekend of just $9.8 million, below projections for a start in the mid-teens as well as the anemic $11.5 million opening of “In the Heights,” which flopped at the box office with $43 million grossed against a $50 million budget.
