On This Day

West Side Story premiere

October 18th 1961

11:14 18 October 2023

The premiere of 'West Side Story' was held at the Rivoli Theatre in New York on this day in 1961. The musical received high praise from the critics and went on to become the highest-grossing film of the year as well as being nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning 10 including Best Picture. A new adaptation by Steven Spielberg was released in 2021 to critical acclaim.