Marketing the Movie-Musical

The internet is up in arms over what’s being said (and most notably, not said) about 2 of the biggest film events of the year. 

Wonka and Mean Girls: both of which are musical renditions of their respective classics. 

Oh, you didn’t know? Good. The marketing teams didn’t want you to.

“If you spell out the word musical, people have pre-formed opinions. Musical has a connotation that [characters] are going to sing every word, and audiences can be turned off,” says one studio marketer.

Wait, but do we think audiences will be turned ON (for lack of a better term) when they spend $100 on popcorn and a slushie and the actors start performing song and dance unexpectedly?

I don’t know the answer. 

I do know it’s a bold strategy for anyone to intentionally leave details out, even when the data suggests that you probably should.

The data that tends to speak the loudest is cold hard cash, baby. And this case is no different.

Movie-musicals have been still alive, but barely breathing with box office flop after box office flop over the past 3 years.

Marketing departments heard that and said bet. 😤

Deadline reports that the verdict among those departments is that, “test-audience focus groups generally hate musicals and the only way to get people into the theater with one is to trick ’em.”

OH. I really wish they hadn’t said trick ‘em?? 

But I DO get why you might possibly not put it on the billboards. Maybe a footnote? I always wonder what the meetings where they decide these things are like in Hollywood. You know everyone has to be so insane.

Still, and like with most things in life, people are taking sides like their lives depend on it. 

Is it smart marketing or shady business? Let us know what you think in the poll below. I’ll report back with results in tomorrow’s Social. 

If you’re one of those girlies who needs to know what everyone else is wearing before you get ready for dinner, here’s what the people are saying:

Xo, The Salesgirls

PS. Marketing departments can do whatever they want when it comes to the 2-part release of the Wicked in late 2024. The entire script could be read as a monologue and I’d be there opening night dressed as Elphaba.