How to Watch West Side Story Online From Anywhere

West Side Story is a musical that premiered in theaters last year and was loved by everyone - who doesn't love a good musical with a dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in musical theatre? The good news for its fans is that the movie will soon be available to stream online, so if you didn't catch it in cinemas, here's your chance. This being said, let's see when, where, and what to do in order to watch West Side Story online from anywhere with ease.

West Side Story has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, the story is set in the mid-1950s in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, then a multiracial, blue-collar neighborhood. The musical explores the rivalry between two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds: the Jets, a white gang, and the Sharks from Puerto Rico. Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang's leader, falls in love with the sister of the Sharks leader, Maria.

It is directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner. Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy, Emmy, GRAMMY, Tony, and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers. Book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and concept, direction, and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works).

From 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company, this musical will premiere on a few platforms and it will have different premiere dates in some countries. West Side Story will be coming to Disney Plus on Wednesday, March 2, 2022, and it will premiere on the same day on the HBO Max streaming platform in the US. It will launch in Taiwan on March 9 and Japan on March 30. As it usually happens with streaming platforms, the title will become available somewhere after 00:01 AM PT.

How to Watch West Side Story Online From Anywhere

As long as you are subscribed to a streaming platform that hosts this title, you will be able to easily watch it from home. However, these platforms are geo-restricted due to licensing issues so you may not have access to the movie when you are traveling abroad or even to some other states. This is an issue that can be easily bypassed if you choose to use a potent VPN. No matter where you are located, a VPN will let you select a virtual location to make it seem you are in your home country, and this will help you bypass the geo-blocks and access the streaming service you subscribed to back home.

If you need a recommendation when it comes to a capable VPN to unblock streaming platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, and others, we recommend you use ExpressVPN. It comes with thousands of servers all over the world, the best encryption protocols to secure your data, and it's extremely popular and easy to use. Moreover, it supports Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku, Android TV, PlayStation, Xbox, Smart TVs, and more. The best part is that it comes with a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee, so go ahead and try ExpressVPN for 30 days RISK-FREE. 

Moreover, it's extremely simple to get started and create an account with this tool. You need to go on their website, fill in your details, select the desired plan, pay, and subscribe to ExpressVPN (49% Discount + 3 Months FREE). As simple as that! Now, you can download and install the VPN app for your device. The final step is to open the VPN app to connect to a server in your country and turn on the VPN, then open the live TV service of choice and tune in to watch West Side Story from anywhere when they air.

How to Watch West Side Story in the US

Everyone is happy that we can watch West Side Story online, and you will be able to do that through Disney Plus in several countries. You will be able to watch it in the US as well after Disney's streaming platform adds it to the US library. And it's actually pretty easy to do that - all you need to do is to subscribe to Disney Plus on their website for $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and you get access to titles from Disney, Pixar, National Geographic, Marvel, Star Wars, and The Simpsons, among others.

Besides subscribing to Disney Plus as a standalone service, you can also go for the Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu bundle if you live in the US. This means you can save 25% compared to the monthly cost of subscribing to all three services separately if you decide to take the deal. If this bundle sounds like a good bargain for your needs, know that you can choose between The Disney Bundle with Hulu with ads for $13.99 per month or with Hulu (No Ads) for $19.99 per month.

After you create an account with the streaming platform, all you need to do is to access the desired title, so go ahead and search for West Side Story and play the movie after it premieres on the platform. The Disney Plus platform is compatible with mobile devices and tablets, both iOS and Android, Smart TVs, gaming consoles, and more.

The other option for US fans is to watch West Side Story online on HBO Max. You only need to have an HBO Max subscription, and at the moment, there are two tiers. The ad-supported tier is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. The ad-free tier costs $14.99 per month or $149.99 per year. It all boils down to picking the one that suits your needs best in terms of perks. There is no free trial available anymore, but the good news is you can cancel anytime.

You can either subscribe to HBO Max via the HBO Max website or subscription providers such as Apple, Google Play, and Roku. HBO Max offers native apps for iOS, and Android devices, smart TVs, consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox, Roku, or Chromecast, and you can even stream content in 4K.

As you may know, HBO Max is not available everywhere in the world, and this means some geo-restrictions are in place. If you're traveling away from the US, you may not be able to access this title in some countries or territories. However, you can lift any geo-restriction by using a reliable VPN that can unblock the streaming platform abroad. You need to select a server located in the US before playing the title.

How to Watch West Side Story in the UK, Canada, and Australia

You cannot subscribe directly to the HBO platform from the UK, Canada, or Australia, so you will have to rely on a Disney Plus subscription since that is available in several other countries besides the US. Disney confirmed that last year's West Side Story will land on the Disney Plus libraries in the UK, Canada, and Australia on March 2, just like in the US. So you can head over to the Disney Plus website and subscribe to the service - the price is £7.99 per month or £79.90 per year in UK and Ireland and $11.99 per month or $119.99 per year in Canada and in Australia (in local currency for each).

Since this service is not available everywhere in the world, it has geo-restrictions in place. This means you may not be able to access this title when you travel outside Canada, Australia, or the UK. The solution to this problem is to get a trustworthy VPN that can lift the geo-blockade for you and let you stream the movie after it becomes available on the streaming platform. Just select a server from back home and turn on the VPN before opening the streaming service for this to work.

Can I Watch West Side Story for Free?

Disney Plus and HBO Max are among the few streaming platforms that do not offer a free trial. However, there are ways to watch West Side Story for free on both of them. Read below for more details.

New and existing Verizon customers in the US can be eligible for six months of free Disney Plus with select Unlimited plans if you're a Verizon subscriber. This means you will be able to watch West Side Story for no charge. After the free trial ends, you will pay $7.99 per month, which is the standard price for a standalone Disney Plus subscription on the streaming platform. There are also on-and-off promotions that include the service for free with Amazon Music Unlimited or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

You can watch West Side Story on HBO Max for free only on streaming services that have it as an add-on and offer a free trial for it - and that have a free trial themselves. The best option is to go for the Hulu 7-day free trial that offers HBO Max for free for 7 days as well. The other options are to take advantage of the YouTube TV that includes an HBO Max 7-day free trial or to get the 5-day free trial on DirecTV Stream and add HBO Max as a 3-month free trial add-on.