Why are there no musicals in Hollywood?

Paramount’s premiere I mean girls, based on the Broadway musical inspired by the 2004 film, uses every trick in the book to hide the fact that it relies on cheerful theatrical songs and dances. The trailer was scored by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Get Him Back,” a song not in the finished film. It was as if Paramount didn’t want the audience to know that I mean girls She – gasp! – Musical.

but why? Historically, musicals have been box office hits in Hollywood, dating back to 1927. Jazz singer. Disney’s animated musicals are among the highest-grossing musicals of all time, a list that tops them the king lion And Frozen II. Movies like Mama Mia!, pitch perfectAnd La la land They have been huge, award-winning hits, not to mention fan favorites. But these days, movie studios seem afraid to promote their potential blockbusters as musicals at all. from Wonka to Violetrecent trailers and marketing materials have ignored the original songs and bizarre choreography, instead churning out scenes that pretend to be just a regular old movie.

Mark Weinstock, president of global marketing and distribution at Paramount, Tell diverse This week “to start saying music, music, music, you have the power to turn away audiences.” “We didn’t want to run out and say it’s a musical because people tend to approach musicals differently,” he said. “This film is a broad comedy with music. Yes, it could be considered a musical but it attracts a bigger audience. You can see in (the trailers for) Wonka And VioletThey don’t say musical either. We have a musical note on the title, so there are allusions to it without it being overbearing.

Although it’s smart to put a musical note in the title, this assertion ignores the fact that moviegoers — and humans in general — love songs. Greta Gerwig’s runaway success Barbie Featuring Broadway-ready song and dance numbers, one of them is widely assumed to be an Oscar winner for Best Original Song three Possible paths. In fact, Mark Ronson, who wrote much of the film’s music, He said recently He is “waiting for the call” to make Barbie In a theatrical performance. “Greta made a musical without calling it a musical,” Ronson added, raising questions about whether that was Gerwig’s decision or Warner Bros.’ decision.

It’s easy to see where the fear comes from. Many recent musicals to films, from the cats to Dear Evan Hanson to Serrano, was a misfire, both critically and at the box office. But despite some strong vocal performances, these examples were poorly made and didn’t translate to the screen. There’s a big difference between Rob Marshall chicago, Which won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and grossed more than $306 million worldwide. the cats, one of the worst films ever made. One is good, musical or not, and the other is so embarrassing, the cast is probably hoping it’ll never be mentioned again (sorry).

In 2018, Greatest Showman It became one of the most successful box office films of all time without ever shying away from its dynamic performance sequences (and despite the poor reviews). The musical was slow to build in theaters, and Twentieth Century Fox used the songs to their advantage to generate momentum. The studio, now part of Disney, paid influencers Cover songs From the movie, something Paramount would have done by now with TikTok if it wasn’t trying to hide the fact that I mean girls The characters sing for most of the film.

This is certainly not a coincidence Wonka And I mean girls They have been successful during their theatrical performances so far. I mean girls It earned $28 million in its first three days, placing it at number one. It may be a mediocre film that functions mostly as a vehicle to showcase the talents of René Rapp and Auli’i Cravalho, but it gets people talking and the audience going to the theater. . (Rab, who released her first album last year and led a band I mean girls The soundtrack is a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion as guest musician Saturday Night Live This weekend.) Did any of these audience members feel cheated once they sat down? Maybe, but it’s doubtful that Paramount’s cautious marketing strategy got people into seats they weren’t already interested in I mean girls alive.

According to Paramount’s own data, 75% of audiences knew it was a musical before purchasing a ticket, while only 16% left the theater “disappointed” by the reveal. Some fans even expressed on social media their frustration with Paramount’s refusal to foot the bill I mean girls The way it is. They claimed that the trailer was intentionally misleading, and is essentially false advice. “What’s the point of making a musical if it’s too risky to market it as a musical,” said one fan Written on X, formerly Twitter. “Cheating people who don’t follow musical theater is not cool.”

But the post-Covid music slump appears to have come to an end, whether studios want to admit that people actually enjoy fun songs or not. John Chu evil, which stars Ariana Grande, is on the way to a two-parter, and there’s no way Universal will be able to hide its origins as a hit Broadway show. Todd Phillips’ long-awaited sequel Joker: Folie à Deux, which will be released in October, will be described as a “musical thriller.” Features pop star Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn opposite the titular villain Joaquin Phoenix. Even Paramount has another one coming: Bob Marley: One Loveabout the life and career of a reggae musician.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, recently Tell painting In fact, “musicals are on the rise. “A lot of studios seem to run away from adding music to their movies for fear of limiting their audience,” he noted. “But I think this is a genre that Hollywood should embrace and highlight.” “