Hollywood's split-film-without-communication trend

Universal’s latest musical is only half of their plans.

‘Wicked’ is a US box office hit. Interestingly, the long-awaited film adaptation of the classic Broadway musical is breaking records in its home country but not elsewhere. We have one possible explanation for the imbalance, related to a development Universal has conveniently hidden from those unaware.

Breaking records. Universal’s film earned $114 million domestically and $164 million internationally. No musical is guaranteed to succeed, but this one broke several records: Best opening weekend for a Broadway hit (surpassing Les Misérables), best debut for a pop star, and best global box office of the year for a non-sequel. Unrecorded but impressive: third best opening weekend of the year (after Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2) and sixth best musical debut on record (before The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen 2).

In Spain, no. As the numbers show (less than half the box office takings in international markets than in the US), the film has done poorly abroad. In 350 Spanish cinemas, Comscore reports only 1.65 million euros. According to analyst Pau Brunet, the results are “more than correct”, surpassing countries with more theaters, like Italy, and with good future prospects (word of mouth, good reviews, December bank holiday). But it’s far from US achievements.

The music issue. Wicked’s musical nature may explain this box office imbalance. An adaptation of a Broadway hit and a literary best-seller that are little known outside the US. Hamilton, a true mass phenomenon in America, has deeply influenced popular culture there, but in Europe, its subject matter—the founding of the country—has had less impact. Universal has hidden the film’s genre in the first trailers and promotion, as Warner did with Wonka last year. Musicals are more popular in the US than abroad. The film has other secrets.

Twice one. How many ‘Wicked’ viewers know they’ll see an unfinished story? This first ‘Wicked‘ is the same length as the Broadway production with the full story, but its two and a half hours seem insufficient, something the film’s advertising and marketing hides to avoid scaring away viewers (although director Jon M. Chu assures that the strategy has been clear and well communicated at all times). This makes financial sense: making two $200 million dollar movies costs $400, but shooting them simultaneously and releasing them on two Christmases reduces costs but doubles revenue.

An increasingly common practice. Despite its risk, it is gaining popularity. ‘Dune’, ‘Fast & Furious X’, ‘Spider-Man: Crossing the Multiverse’, ‘Mission: Impossible – Death Sentence’, and ‘It’ (possibly the first to keep its nature secret) all end in to be continued, with open plots, and all hide it from viewers except Tom Cruise. This one made 220 million dollars less than its predecessor, the eighth part was delayed until 2025, and the titles of the last two installments didn’t mention ‘Part 1’ or ‘Part 2’ to avoid reopening the wound.

Chopping risks. However, it is risky. Universal may have remembered ‘Allegiant’, the last installment of ‘The Divergent Series’, which bombed at the box office and was never released. Recent examples include Kevin Costner’s epic tetralogy ‘Horizon’, which did so poorly that the second installment, already filmed, has no release date. But successful films like those above and illustrious precedents like the last two Harry Potter films continue to encourage studios to make these decisions.

Hollywood’s split-film-without-communication trend

Universal’s latest musical is only half of their plans.

By knl9j

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