Waitress: The Musical

Waitress (also known by its promotional title Waitress: The Musical) is a 2023 American musical comedy-drama film consisting of a live stage recording of Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson's 2015 musical of the same name, based on the 2007 film of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly.

The film was produced in the fall of 2021 during its limited run at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City, as part of the efforts to slowly reopen Broadway in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, with this being the first musical to begin performances near the end of the shutdown. The film features the cast of this remounting, which includes Bareilles (who also serves as a producer), Charity Angél Dawson, Caitlin Houlahan, Drew Gehling, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, Joe Tippett, and Christopher Fitzgerald. Diane Paulus returned to direct the production, with Brett Sullivan directing the live filming and Nelson serving as a film creative advisor.

It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2023 and was theatrically released in the United States on December 7, 2023 by Bleecker Street in collaboration with Fathom Events. It received positive reviews from critics.

Production
Following the closure of the original Broadway production on January 5, 2020 at the Brooks Atkinson Theater (now the Lena Horne Theater), the theater district shut down for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, producer Barry Weissler announced that a remount of the original production, starring Bareilles, would open following the reopening of Broadway theaters. The show returned in a limited engagement on September 2, 2021 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, making it the first musical on Broadway to begin performances following the COVID-19 shutdown. The primary reason for its return was to record the production for a future public release, with Steam Motion and Sound producing the film. Several returning cast members star in the production, including Bareilles as Jenna, Gehling as Dr. Pomatter, Tippett as Earl, Dawson as Becky, Houlahan as Dawn, Matthews as Joe, Fitzgerald as Ogie, and Anderson as Cal. The run concluded on December 22, 2021, two weeks earlier than planned due to a spike of COVID-19. The film entered post-production the following year and was completed in early 2023.

Release
The film premiered in the Spotlight+ section of the Tribeca Film Festival on June 12, 2023, followed by a special post-screening musical performance by Bareilles. Simultaneously, it also broadcast with sound through the TSX app onto TSX Entertainment's 18,000-square-foot digital screen overlooking Times Square, including the broadcast of an introduction by Bareilles.

Theatrical
In September 2023, Bleecker Street acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, partnering with Fathom Events for its theatrical release, and scheduled it for release on December 7, 2023. The film's theatrical run lasted until December 21.

Home media
The film was released on digital platforms and VOD on January 9, 2024 and on Blu-ray on February 6, 2024 by Decal.

Box office
The film grossed an estimated $3.2 million during its opening weekend from 1,214 theaters, finishing eighth.