Does Hollywood marketing hide musicals?

The official trailer for “Wonka” contained flashes of dancing, including footage of high-stepping chorus lines, along with Hugh Grant’s Oompa Loompa performing a certain famous number. A TV spot released in November shows Chalamet performing the song “Pure Imagination”. Furthermore, the 1971 film “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” was full of tunes, so the song-and-dance aspect of the prequel shouldn’t shock anyone.

Warner’s official promo for “The Color Purple” included dance sequences and Barrino belting out the song “I’m Here” from the Tony Award-winning show. But no, the studio wasn’t exactly pioneering the musical nature of the film.

Why aren’t musicals more clearly advertised as musicals? Do you think they are too specialized? Very Old? Are studios afraid to remake previous failed films, such as In the Heights, Cats and Dear Evan Hansen? Maybe a little of all of the above?

The logic is more complicated than it seems. Broadway fans may complain, but every film is different and should be marketed accordingly. Studio insiders told the Times that the priority of early marketing for “Wonka,” for example, was to focus on the story and characters and familiarize audiences with Chalamet’s version of the top-hatted inventor. Given the widespread fondness for Gene Wilder’s iconic film, this will be no easy task.

One factor, according to marketing experts who spoke anonymously, may be that the original film versions of “The Color Purple” and “Mean Girls” were not musicals, unlike Broadway-born creations like “Les Misérables” or “Mamma “. Mia!”, which was clearly and successfully marketed as such.