Can WEST SIDE STORY top the opening for HOUSE OF GUCCI?

WEST is now the third adult-skewing title to hit theaters following KING RICHARD and HOUSE OF GUCCI. RICHARD debuted to $5.8M, though it surely would have made more were it not for its simultaneous HBO Max release. A week later, GUCCI had a 3-day opening of $14.4M. 

We will be watching this one very closely. According to the study we recently published in partnership with Fanthropology and CULTIQUE, the box office has been driven by men between 25 and 45. For the box office to expand, theaters have to win back women and non-white audiences. 

The success of WEST will hinge on its ability to do precisely that. So, all of us at The Quorum are hoping for a solid opening that will signal the return of these reluctant former filmgoers. 

Here are the scores for the three films on the day of release across the four key metrics:

AWARENESS – do you know about the film?

INTEREST SCORE – on a scale of 1-10, how interested are you in seeing this film?

LOCATION – would you watch this film in a theater or at home?

PAY – would you pay to watch this movie, or would you only watch if it was free?

RICHARD had the 2nd highest awareness but places third in the other three metrics. GUCCI had the lowest awareness, but placed second in the other metrics. WEST was tops in all four metrics, but not by much. In other words, the data suggests WEST has the potential to open near GUCCI’s 3-day total, but if it does, it will be close.