The Movie Musical: Hollywood’s Broadway Problem

Hollywood can’t market musicals as musicals.

If you have not read last week's entry, Broadway's Hollywood Problem, I would suggest doing so before reading this piece. Some concepts in this course will stand on their own, but this week is essentially Part II of last week, so don't miss out on half the information. 

While Waitress: The Musical was playing in movie theaters, as many as three trailers for other musicals played before it. Unlike Waitress, they were Hollywood productions (I'll be using the term Hollywood to represent anything made by a major film studio, regardless of where or how it was made), not filmed staged versions. But also unlike Waitress: The Musical, the word musical was nowhere to be found in their titles, trailers, marketing materials, or presence of any kind. 

Between December 15th, 2023, and January 12, 2024, just 28 days, moviegoers were treated to the release of three Hollywood musicals: Wonka, The Color Purple, and Mean Girls. 

All familiar IP, of course. And that is what the marketing teams used to sell their movies - not the fact that they were musicals.

The Color Purple was touted as “a bold new take on the beloved classic." Mean Girls was called "a new twist from Tina Fey." Wonka is a prequel, taking place before the title character's adventures in factory management, and features absolutely no clues that it features singing and dancing in the original trailer. 

Savvy theatre and moviegoers like yourselves probably knew. Both Mean Girls and The Color Purple are film adaptations of their respective Broadway musicals, starring many folks who did the show in New York. Anyone could assume Wonka would be one if they had seen the other two movies featuring Willy Wonka. 

But the studios felt the need to hide it from us.