With just $36.6 million in ticket sales, ‘West Side Story’ is officially a box-office bomb

Despite rave reviews, Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” has failed to gain traction with audiences at the box office.

In its first three weeks in cinemas, the film has captured just $36.6 million in global ticket sales. Its production budget was around $100 million, not including marketing costs.

Box-office analysts say the film suffered because it was targeted at older audiences, who are hesitant to return to cinemas during the Covid pandemic, lacked a major Hollywood star and was pit against “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”