On Movies: ‘West Side Story’ – March 15 Can’t Get Here Soon Enough For Me

Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in Lithia, Florida, on Thursday, February 10, 2022. It’s a cool Florida-style winter day in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 66˚F (19˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 42% and the wind blowing from the north-northeast at 11 MPH (17 KM/H), it feels like it’s 65˚F (18˚C). Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 72˚F (22˚C). Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy. The low will be 48˚F (9˚C).

Well, I was hoping that with the announcements that West Side Story was nominated for seven Academy Awards and that it will premiere on Disney+ on Wednesday, March 2, 20^th Century Studios (a division of The Walt Disney Company) would let us know when the physical media release will be available for pre-order.

Yes, we know that the Buena Vista Home Entertainment has announced a March 15 release date for Steven Spielberg’s highly acclaimed remake of both the 1957 stage musical and its 1961 film adaptation, but there’s no pre-order date available for consumers in North America. Yes, West Side Story is still in theaters. Yes, I know the House of Mouse wants people to subscribe to Disney+ so that they can see the movie there. But why does Disney announce a release date for various iterations of the Blu-ray and then withhold the pre-order option?

I don’t get it. If this is a tactic intended to get Spielberg/West Side Story fans to either go see it in a theater or subscribe to Disney+, it’s certainly counterproductive.

If it’s a matter of issues with replication and distribution of the physical discs, wouldn’t it be better – from the public relations perspective – to be upfront about it and say, “Hey, folks. We don’t yet know when we can send out the 4K and 2K discs to you. So we’ll just say that March 15 date is no longer operable, and we’ll let you know when we have more information.”

Also: West Side Story was finished way before 2021. It had been scheduled for a December 20, 2020 release, but, you know, it was postponed till last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. You’d think 20^th Century Studios and Disney would have made the discs then and had them ready before 2022, no?

I subscribe to Disney+, so I can watch West Side Story on March 2 unless Disney makes it a pay-to-view event. It’s not likely, though, so I think I’ll be able to watch it either in my room or on the bigger TV set with a Roku. That set is tied to the Caregiver’s middle son’s Disney+ account and would be my preferred option on account of the closed captions option that is available on Roku. (My Disney+ account does not have closed captions, which is one of the reasons why I’m anxious for the Blu-ray version.)

I know. I know. First World problems and yada, yada, yada. But considering that I was looking forward to seeing this in a theater, and then couldn’t – the wait is becoming irritating.

I’ve got stuff to do, Dear Reader, so I’ll close for now. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.