West Side Story Will Be Available On Two Streaming Platforms So Soon

Since its silver screen premiere on Dec. 10, Steven Spielberg’s musical remake West Side Story made waves for its energetic, skirt-twirling performances and tributes to the original 1961 film adaptation. Awards season has been no different for the 20th Century Fox film. West Side Story already bagged several accolades, including three Golden Globe wins for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

On Feb. 8, the Academy Awards announced its list of 2022 nominees, and, unsurprisingly, West Side Story got a total of seven nominations. (The 1961 original was similarly well-decorated, winning a total of 10 Academy Awards.) With all the Oscar buzz surrounding the movie, West Side Story is finally coming to streaming platforms ahead of the March 27 ceremony. Here’s how to stream the Best Picture nominee and when.

West Side Story Plot And Cast

The film follows a tragic Romeo and Juliet-esque story. María (Rachel Zegler) and Tony (the controversial Ansel Elgort) fall in love at a dance but are star-crossed lovers on opposite sides of rival gangs. María is the little sister of Bernardo, the leader of a young Puerto Rican gang called the Sharks, while Tony is a reformed ex-felon who’s friends with the Sharks’ rival gang, the Jets. After a series of fights (and song numbers), guns are fired and multiple leads are killed — including Tony.

Like the ’61 movie, the Spielberg’s film is based on the original 1957 Broadway musical written by Arthur Laurents and features the iconic Broadway songs by Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein, including “America” and “I Feel Pretty.”

The creatives behind the remake are also littered with powerhouse names and Tony winners, like longtime Spielberg collaborator Tony Kushner, who wrote the screenplay, and Justin Peck, who choreographed. Rita Moreno, who made history as the first Latina actor to win an Oscar for her role as Anita in the 1961 film adaptation, also returns to the new West Side Story as Valentina, a character written just for her. Ariana DeBose, who you may recognize as The Bullet in Hamilton, plays Anita in the 2021 remake and bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

West Side Story Will Stream On Two Platforms

The musical will be available to stream starting Mar. 2 on Disney +, as the official West Side Story Instagram account shared on Feb. 9. The film will also be simultaneously released on HBO Max on the same day as part of an ongoing pact to split streaming rights with Disney Media. According to a Variety report, until the year ends, HBO has the rights to share half of Fox’s (now named 20th Century Studios) films. By next year, Disney will have exclusive access to the studio’s projects.

Something’s Coming: West Side Story – A Special Edition of 20/20, ABC’s hour-long special with cast and crew interviews and a behind-the-scenes look, is currently streaming on Disney+ for fans who want supplementary material. The special also includes one of Sondheim’s final interviews before he passed away last Nov. 26.

How To Watch The 1961 Version

While Spielberg’s version isn’t currently available on video-on-demand, the 1961 original film adaptation is. It’s available to rent or buy on video-on-demand services, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, and YouTube.