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.

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.

As the police arrive to arrest Chino, the gangs finally end the feud by coming together to carry Tony's corpse into Doc's, with María following close behind.

In March 2014, Steven Spielberg first seriously expressed interest in directing an adaptation of West Side Story, prompting 20th Century Fox to acquire the rights to the project.

[42] In January 2019, newcomer Rachel Zegler was picked from over 30,000 applicants to play María, with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, and Josh Andrés Rivera also cast as Anita, Bernardo, and Chino, respectively.

That shot was the last to be filmed on the final day of principal photography, as it was a last-minute suggestion made by cinematographer Janusz Kamiński to Spielberg following completion of the Balcony scene.

Kamiński described that it "starts as Steadicam, bringing the actors down the hallway, then as soon as the doors open up, it transitions into a cable cam shot that goes up into the air and over to the other side of the gym".

[67] Peck noted that dance in movie-musicals had grown into something of a joke in the past several decades, with the 1961 film receiving some light mockery for depicting violent gang warfare with ballet movements.

Mindful of the new film's more realistic approach to material, he chose to treat the dance as symbolic of the unity between the gangs: "We have to remember that it is still a musical and that there's a unique kind of expression that exists in it.

[66] Peck cites "Cool" as the dance sequence most indicative of this approach, combining virtuoso ballet movements with the dangerous violence of the scene in the fight over the gun.

It then screened for industry and critics at its world premiere on November 29 at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater, followed by Los Angeles at the El Capitan Theatre on December 7.

[89] An exclusive look at the film, featuring extended sneak peeks at the "Dance at the Gym" and "America" scenes, was presented at the 49th Annual American Music Awards on November 22, introduced by Elgort and Zegler.

[91] Deadline Hollywood reported that the film was initially banned in all the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, believed likely due to the role of Anybodys being a transgender character, as played by non-binary actor iris menas.

[95] The cast and creative team responded, with co-producer Kevin McCollum telling The Hollywood Reporter: "I think we have to remember that during Shakespeare's time, at the height, the Puritans came in and tore all of the theaters down.

[97][98] A special presentation of the film accompanied by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic performing the score live took place at the Hollywood Bowl on July 12 and 14, as part of its Summer 2022 season.

[79] Jeremy Fuster of TheWrap was hopeful the film could recover throughout the Christmas holiday season as a sleeper hit, similar to what happened with The Greatest Showman (2017), through ongoing positive word-of-mouth and awards-season buzz.

[116] In his final week as Disney chairman in 2021, Bob Iger said the company "did a brilliant job marketing" the film, but speculated that its weak performance could be due to competition with streaming services, the cost of theater tickets, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[117] However, Kyle Buchanan of The New York Times blamed "the marketing campaign, which missed crucial opportunities", including leveraging Spielberg, "the movie's biggest name".

She further noted the film lacked big names in the cast (save for Ansel Elgort and Rita Moreno) and was released around the same time as Spider-Man: No Way Home, all factors that could have hurt its ability to perform well at the box office.

[119] By March 20, 2022, according to Samba TV, West Side Story had streamed on Disney+ and HBO Max in a combined 1.9 million households in the United States since the Oscar nomination announcements on February 8.

The website's consensus reads: "Steven Spielberg's West Side Story presents a new look at the classic musical that lives up to its beloved forebear – and in some respects might even surpass it.

[124] Helen O'Hara of Empire gave the film five stars and wrote: "Heartfelt and heart-breaking, this feels like Spielberg has made an adaptation faithful to its roots but also, always, alive to the modern world".

[125] Jason Bailey of The Playlist wrote, "West Side Story moves like a freight train, its 156 minutes passing in barely a breath, and that breakneck pace, combined with the expressionist aesthetic and candy-colored imagery, reminds us that blockbusters don't have to be greyscaled dreck".

[126] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair wrote that "Spielberg and Kushner have done justice to what Bernstein, Robbins, and the quite recently late Stephen Sondheim made all those years ago – not subverting its enduring value, but rather, with fire and grace, doing so much to earn it".

[132] Arlene Dávila echoed this sentiment: "It's high time to say enough with the half-baked remakes, imports, and adaptations, and to start demanding productions and original content that is written and produced by our diverse community".

In 2022, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino voiced his praise for both this film and Top Gun: Maverick, saying that they "... both provided a true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I'd almost thought that I wasn't going to see anymore.

[135][136] Filmmaker Edgar Wright also praised the film, saying, "For those who had an inkling Spielberg had a great musical in him (see set pieces in both 1941 & Temple of Doom) will be giddy at the sheer verve of his West Side Story.

"[20] It ranked number 13 on Screen Rant's list of "The 35 Best Musicals of All Time" with the site calling it "one of Spielberg's best films of the 21st century," alongside Catch Me If You Can (2002), Bridge of Spies (2015) and The Fabelmans (2022).

"[140] The site also ranked it at number 2 on its list of the "Best Recent Musical Movies," calling it "a total knockout and fans of the original will have no problem coming to love it, which is really the true indicator of a successful remake.

"[144][145] West Side Story was nominated for several awards and won accolades from various organizations, critics' groups and circles, particularly in recognition of the cast's performances, Spielberg's direction, Kushner's screenplay, and the film's production merits.