'West Side Story' 

Disney, 20th Century Studies, and directing genius, Steven Spielberg, all teamed up to remake the 1961 classic musical. The 2021 rendition of West Side Story only pulled in an estimated $10.5 million for its North America weekend debut, marking one of the lowest openings since May of this year.

Despite raving reviews (a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes), rumored Oscar award recognition, and a strong fanbase for the original musical, low audience turnout prevented the film from scoring big. Projections set West Side Story up for reaching $15 million in box office sales, so its perfomance in theaters this weekend was certainly unfulfilled.

'Encanto'

Encanto is Disney's newest animated musical to score big with audiences. The film follows the magical tale of the Madrigal family told through beautiful animation and Lin-Manuel Miranda's captivating songwriting. Encanto ranked number one in box office sales two weekends in a row, and this weekend it just fell short of West Side Story, bringing in approximately $9.45 million. With sales surpassing $70 million, Encanto ranks as the highest grossing animated film since theaters reopened. It is available exclusively in theaters until being released on the Disney+ streaming platform on December 24th.

'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'

Sony's latest release, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was bumped down from its number two spot, pulling in an estimated $7.1 million from this weekend's sales. Since its November 19th premiere, the film has grossed approximately $147.2 million in total sales, scoring it in the top ten highest grossing films domestically since theaters reopened.

'House of Gucci'

MGM's House of Gucci also fell down another spot, landing in fourth for its third week in theaters. The crime drama, directed by Ridley Scott, features Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, so it comes as no surprise that the film is still ranking in the top five for box office sales. Since its Thanksgiving-day release, House of Gucci has grossed an estimated $41 million domestically.

'Eternals'

Closing out our box office recap, Disney's Eternals claimed the number five spot, bringing in an estimated $3.1 million over the weekend. Sales for Eternals did not decline as rapidly compared to other films that have been in theaters for the past few weeks, likely due to the highly-anticipated release of Spiderman: No Way Home. Having been in theaters for 38 days, the film has grossed approximately $161.2 domestically. It will be available to stream on Disney+ on January 12th.