As a musical theatre fan, I was excited for the theatrical release of one of my favorite musicals, the Broadway adaptation of the iconic 2004 movie Mean Girls. Having already known that the movie would be a musical, it took me a while to realize that besides a musical note replacing the space in between the letter “A” in the Mean Girls logo, there was little to no indication in the poster of the movie that the remake was a musical. I’ve been aware of the fact that a large amount of people strongly dislike musicals. Yet, I was surprised and amused to see viral clips of people being in theaters, watching the movie, and groaning once the main character’s musical number started. That was when I grasped how little of the musical aspect of the movie was advertised. While reading online discourse about the possibility of Hollywood deceiving audiences into seeing musicals, I learned that the recently released Wonka is also a musical, even after seeing multiple trailers for each respective movie. I and plenty of other people concluded that Hollywood has been attempting to trick audiences into seeing live-action movie musicals.
Why Do People Dislike Musicals?
When typing into Google “why do musicals,” some of the top suggestions include “…make me cringe,” “…sound the same,” and “…annoy me.” When trying to understand why so many people don’t like them, the main complaint I hear is that they’re unrealistic. When watching media, people expect realism to be immersed in the story. Complaints over plot holes or overly convenient timing aren’t uncommon. Of course, the very nature of musicals is unrealistic. Musicals often feel jarring with the transitions between talking, singing, and dancing.
Adapting a stage production into a movie can also lead to challenges conveying the story. Often, comedy is cut from musicals to attempt a more realistic tone. For example, the movie version of Into the Woods cut many jokes originally in the stage production that acted as ways to break the fourth wall. In turn, the movie lacks much of the musical’s heart.
It’s important to distinguish animated movie musicals from live-action movie musicals. Some of the most successful movie musicals have been animated.
Have They Been Flopping?
Live-action modern movie musicals lack the popularity that they used to have. From The Wizard of Oz in 1939, West Side Story in 1951, and The Sound of Music in 1965, some of the most influential movies ever have been live-action movie musicals. However, in this day and age, there has been a lack of interest in them. 2021 had three movie musicals that were adaptations of highly-acclaimed and beloved Broadway musicals released: In the Heights, Dear Evan Hansen, and a remake of West Side Story. All three musicals underperformed severely, costing the production companies millions. In the Heights and Dear Evan Hansen each made $10 million less than they cost to produce. The original West Side Story made (a price adjusted) $432 million. In contrast, the 2021 release made $76 million worldwide and needed $300 million to break even. All three movies were among the biggest box office bombs of that year, performing worse than many other movies coming out that year.
There are a couple of notable exceptions regarding the trend of modern, live-action musicals performing poorly: La La Land (2016) and The Greatest Showman (2017). La La Land was very successful, grossing $472 million on a $30 million budget. Despite the risks that come with releasing an original musical, it was widely acclaimed and won numerous awards. The Greatest Showman had a rockier path to success. It had received lukewarm reviews from critics and was predicted to be a flop. Despite that, audiences loved it. It made $8.8 million in its first weekend and $15 million in its second weekend. The widely popular soundtrack and adoration from many propelled the movie into a blockbuster. Unlike many other movie musicals, the film showed exceptional staying power and had a level of success.
Is Hollywood Trying to Trick People into Seeing Musicals?
Given the fact that the trailers for the Mean Girls musical featured an Olivia Rodrigo song instead of one of the many songs that are in the movie, as well as there are barely any glimpses of singing and dancing, and the lack of an indication of it being a musical in the title; it’s fair to assume that there was an attempt to hide the fact that it was a musical. Because, as of late, live-action movie musicals flop more often than they do succeed, it’s plausible that Hollywood has been deceptive in its marketing for musicals as it’s been shown that audiences don’t care for them. This tactic may work as Wonka has grossed $552 million with a $125 million budget, and Mean Girls spent three weeks at the top of the box office since its release.
Why Does Hollywood Keep Making Movie Musicals If They Tend Not to Do Well?
The fact that musicals keep being made despite the issues of getting an audience for them is interesting as it relates to a problem with movies that people have increasingly been discussing. There rarely seems to be any original work. This idea is an issue that people have been lamenting frequently. Every movie that comes out seems to be a remake. The fact that many musicals are adapted or based on existing work would explain why they still get made, though people loudly complain about them. Movies require a lot of money to be produced, so studios bank on pre-existing audiences to ensure success. There is a lot of risk that’s taken when studios produce movies, so it’s likely that despite the risk that’s taken with making a musical, the medium allows for studios to release content on pre-existing media.
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References:
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1321510/
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/In-the-Heights-(2021)#tab=summary
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Dear-Evan-Hansen#tab=summary
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/West-Side-Story-(2020)#tab=summary
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/West-Side-Story#tab=summary
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/La-La-Land#tab=summary
https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Greatest-Showman-The#tab=summary