Deadline Reports Studios Avoid To Promote Musicals Movie As Is. Will This Affect Gaga

[RAMROD 104,089]

Worldwide weekend for Wonka is bigger than expected at $92.6M including debuts in France, Belgium, Holland, Australia, NZ, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Poland. The Paul King-directed movie’s running global total is north of $151M. 

A great start for a live-action feature musical at the box office, that genre nearly put to bed post Covid by such bombs as West Side Story, Dear Evan Hansen and In the Heights. Talk about a rebound entirely for the genre: Warners risked it on not one, but two musicals this holiday season with The Color Purple opening on Christmas Day and hot buzz around its presales. It just takes a hit or two to revive interest in any genre that’s been deemed dead (in other words, there’s hope for more pirate movies).

Again — a great result for a musical after the genre’s post-Covid funk, and the studio intentionally didn’t sell Wonka as such in trailers. Why? Apparently, test-audience focus groups generally hate musicals and the only way to get people into the theater with one is to trick ’em. If they get in the door and wind up enjoying themselves, then business is solid for a studio on a musical. This is the same reason why Lionsgate didn’t lean into those beautiful country ballad numbers in its Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes marketing to set that prequel apart from the rest of its previous sequels. Speaking of that movie, it continues to hold well at -35% with a fifth weekend of $6M and running total of $145.4M. Look for a pop on the pic during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve periods.

 

https://deadline.com/2023/12/box-office-wonka-1235669099/

 

Although the articles focuses on the musical of the moment, Wonka, which is not promoted so much as Musicals by the studios that releasing it, Warner Bros. It is important to read considering the same studio will also release Joker FAD next year.

Will Warner do the same almost not showing musicals part  promotion tricks to JKFAD?

Need to note that JKFAD audience is very different than Wonka & Hunger Games. Comic book fans are very particular about things and doesn't like to get tricked by a trailer and getting bad surprises. Gaga will only have one chance with this group. 

Thoughts?

[Maxine Puth 9,052]

But we know it’s a musical? Like that was the big thing when it came out, and we saw how everyone reacted. And anyway, it’s Lady Gaga. Would they choose to release a trailer where she’s not singing 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Maxine Puth

[gemein3 1,030]

No this movie will be massive and production knows it. 

[River 104,796]

Now that I know that it's a musical I don't want to see it

ASIB was an exception because the music was mostly performances, but this is like "me brushing teeth and music starts to play in the background and uncontrollably I starts to sing and suddenly there is a flash mob and I find myself in the streets with my pants down"

[weed 70,896]

There aren't many rated R musicals and it's so different than any other comic book movie I think it will be promoted as such and people will still see it.

Her first billion dollar film potentially 

[hieronymus 9,635]

21 minutes ago, River said:

Now that I know that it's a musical I don't want to see it

ASIB was an exception because the music was mostly performances, but this is like "me brushing teeth and music starts to play in the background and uncontrollably I starts to sing and suddenly there is a flash mob and I find myself in the streets with my pants down"

"flash mob" always takes me back to like 2010 when they were EVERYWHERE. I was so paranoid every time I went in public that there'd suddenly be a flash mob forced on me

[MOT 2,644]

This ain't gonna be West Side Story.

[nodandsmile 9,759]

tricking people into paying to see stuff they generally don't like is one hell of a gamble... if they still don't like that could affect their relationship with the company forever, especially now when consumers have social media and are loud as hell!

when it comes to Joker I'm actually glad they said it's a musical (they are not hiding it lol), at least people know what they are getting and those who don't care for musicals but like these characters will still wanna hear from trusted sources how the movie turned out and then give it a try if they feel like it!

now imagine the mess if that information was kept secret until release? 💀

[bionic 41,792]

33 minutes ago, Maxine Puth said:

But we know it’s a musical? Like that was the big thing when it came out, and we saw how everyone reacted. And anyway, it’s Lady Gaga. Would they choose to release a trailer where she’s not singing 

"We" also know that The Color Purple and the new Mean Girls movies are musicals but they still minimized that in the marketing. The audience at large won't know it, especially coming off the back of Joker 1

[Maxine Puth 9,052]

3 minutes ago, bionic said:

"We" also know that The Color Purple and the new Mean Girls movies are musicals but they still minimized that in the marketing. The audience at large won't know it, especially coming off the back of Joker 1

What I’m saying is that right off the bat it was marketed as a musical, we have footage of Gaga performing, and anyone who’s interested and is on social media had something to say about it being a musical  The uniqueness of this movie is what will be sold. 

[Obobo 2,673]

I don't know why people are already calling it a full on musical.

[Ultimecia 6,025]

I don't think there is any reason to be worried, because of the simple fact that this is Lady Gaga in a starring role we're talking about.

[Red 94,442]

I don't think people dislike musicals that much, they usually like musicals with a twist, for example, Mamma Mia that is a musical but with ABBA music, La La Land that is a musical but modern, A Stat Is Born that is a musical but people don't burst into music, Disney movies that are musicals, but... by Disney... 

[Emvee 7,612]

Why did musicals even become a thing if they knew audiences hate them? 
 

Like, why are they now in a position where they even have to trick people into going to see the movie? Are there that many gays in Hollywood now? 

[River 104,796]

38 minutes ago, hieronymus said:

"flash mob" always takes me back to like 2010 when they were EVERYWHERE. I was so paranoid every time I went in public that there'd suddenly be a flash mob forced on me

this and harlem shake