Steven Spielberg is once again reigning supreme at the top of the global box office with his new sci-fi original, “Disclosure Day,” currently sitting pretty as the No. 1 movie in the world. The pricy original earned $93 million worldwide in its opening frame and has reminded moviegoers all over again that Spielberg remains one of cinema’s greatest filmmakers.
While it remains a long way from profitable, thanks to its $115 million budget and estimated $80 million marketing spend (per The New York Times), it’s a strong start for a blockbuster movie enjoying a solid (but not quite spectacular) overall reception from critics and viewers alike. In the build-up to “Disclosure Day’s” release, we asked Tom’s Guide readers to pick the best Steven Spielberg movie, which any film fan knows is an extraordinarily difficult question to answer definitively.
The American director has helmed some of the most legendary movies of the last five decades and even coined the term “blockbuster” as we know it today with his 1975 classic “Jaws.” The sheer quantity of quality across his filmography was clear in just how close the poll results were. After 1,800 votes, the top three were separated by just a single percentage point.
However, I was disappointed to see that one of Spielberg’s more recent efforts was overlooked in our readers' poll. It was also largely ignored when it arrived in movie theaters back in December 2021. So, let’s dive into the results and also give some love to Spielberg's $100 million box office bomb.
Best Steven Spielberg movie poll — the results
Total votes (1,801) |
Percentage of votes |
|
Saving Private Ryan (1998) |
320 |
18% |
Schindler's List (1993) |
303 |
17% |
Jaws (1975) |
294 |
16% |
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) |
230 |
13% |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |
192 |
11% |
Jurassic Park (1993) |
187 |
10% |
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) |
120 |
7% |
Catch Me If You Can (2002) |
63 |
3% |
Lincoln (2012) |
50 |
3% |
West Side Story (2021) |
42 |
2% |
As the table above shows, the poll quickly became a slugfest between 1998’s “Saving Private Ryan” and 1993’s “Schindler’s List.” Most directors would be delighted to have just one of these titans in their filmography; for Spielberg, they both came in the same decade. And both movies scooped Steven Spielberg a Best Director award at the Oscars.
It was “Saving Private Ryan” that won, but by a whisker. After 1,800 votes, the war drama won out by a mere 17 votes over Spielberg’s lone Best Picture winner. How’s that for a photo finish? “Jaws” wasn’t far behind, rounding out the top three with nine fewer votes than “Schindler’s List.”
Other movies that enjoyed strong support included Indiana Jones’ first adventure, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” ‘80s trailblazer “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the quintessential dinosaur thriller, “Jurassic Park.” I was a little disappointed to see weaker support for 2002’s “Catch Me If You Can,” which is probably the Spielberg movie I’ve rewatched the most times.
However, the biggest crime of this poll, at least in this critic's opinion, was that “West Side Story” found its propping up the list in last place, unable to amass even 50 votes. I suppose this was to be expected, and I must acknowledge the strength of the competition, but this stunning musical deserves so much more love than it’s received over the past five years.
Where’s the love for Spielberg's ‘West Side Story’?
I feel like Spielberg’s “West Side Story” has never gotten its flowers. The second feature adaptation of the enduring 1957 stage musical had big boots to fill. The 1961 version set multiple box office records (it was the highest-grossing musical movie at the time) and took home 10 Oscars (including Best Picture); Spielberg’s 2021 spin was less successful.
For starters, with a hefty $100 million budget (only $15 million shy of “Disclosure Day”), it ended its run with “just” $76 million. Considering it was estimated to need $300 million to break even, there’s no doubt it was a box office failure. But any true film fan knows you can’t measure a movie's quality based on how much money it makes in theaters.
The movie is a critical darling with a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes (and an even stronger 93% viewer score), and it was nominated for seven Oscars, with Ariana DeBose taking home a well-deserved Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Anita. Meanwhile, Spielberg got nominated for Best Director for the eighth time for "West Side Story." This would be bumped to nine with his follow-up movie, 2023's "The Fabelmans."
The movie also boasts some of Spielberg’s most memorizing filmmaking, which is really saying something. I challenge anybody to watch the gym dance sequence and then tell me this epic musical doesn’t represent Spielberg operating on a level of directorial brilliance that few filmmakers can ever hope to match. It’s a colorful blur of phenomenal choreography, iconic music and kinetic energy that comes alive on the screen.
You could, of course, quibble over whether “West Side Story” needed another big-screen adaptation; it’s not like the original effort demanded improving upon, but I’m so glad Spielberg reimagined the story of the feuding Sharks and the Jets for a new generation. Between the iconic tunes (“Something's Coming" is my personal favorite), the high-calibre performances, and Spielberg’s ever-excellent direction, 2021’s “West Side Story” deserves so much more than to be labeled a box office disaster.
If you’re revisiting Spielberg’s filmography in the wake of “Disclosure Day,” I strongly encourage you to make some time for “West Side Story” in between “Jurassic Park,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Jaws” and the familiar favorites. This musical might never stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his most popular projects, but it’s no stain on his career. If anything, because of its lack of attention, it’s become Spielberg’s most overlooked movie.
Watch "West Side Story" (2021) on Disney+ now
