Jon M. Chu explains why evil Part 1 is not included in the title. The film version is based on the mega-hit Broadway musical of the same name. evil ‘ was released in theaters on November 22nd, but despite its running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, evil Rather than telling the entire story, it stops at the end of the first act of the musical. Wicked: Part 2 is in development and scheduled for release on November 21, 2025. evil The main cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, and Marissa Bode.
talk to gizmodoChu explains why evilThe title does not include the label “Part 1.” Chu begins by saying:Marketing has its own strategy for all these. ” despite this, The director seemed pretty clear that he was making a two-part movie.and I knew it was the right decision. So he left it to marketing to figure out how best to sell a film he was confident in. Chu also explained the difficulty of making the film. evil The trailer showcases various songs from the movie. See the full quote from Chu below.
Chu: So marketing has its own strategy for all of that. I think it was pretty clear from the beginning that there were two parts. I made a statement, did everything, and everyone responded. I knew there would be a certain reaction. But when we actually looked at the nuts and bolts, we also found that it was very clear. There were no questions asked. Either it’s not Wicked and they’re removing all these songs, or they’re changing the story so much that it’s not the Wicked you want it to be anymore. I knew we were making the right choice and followed the selection and marketing, but I don’t know how they do it. But I understood what those choices were.
And it felt like everyone knew this was a musical anyway. There was also a musical trailer. People don’t think about it and this is difficult, but when you’re actually cutting the trailer and there’s music in there and you’re singing with your mouth moving, every song is in a different key. And how do you jump from one song to another in an organic trailer way when you only have two minutes? It’s actually very technically difficult. And they were dancing to different rhythms and stuff. It quickly becomes confusing. So I thought it would be impossible to cut all the songs together, even if they were released. And they found certain things, so they needed to change the pitch, and that’s not the way I want to do it, but it’s what ties the song together and it needs to be done that way. However, it is technically very difficult. It’s not just a choice of, “Oh, I can’t do that.” How do I go from “The Wizard and I” to “Defying Gravity” without changing keys? It’s very difficult.
What does this mean for the wicked?
The trailer for ‘Wicked’ made its musical status clear
Chu is right and most astute viewers know that. evil This point is a two-part film, as was emphasized in early publicity. The viewers who watched earlier, evil But the trailer gives us no reason to think so. evil This was only the first part of a two-part musical adaptation. This risks disappointing some viewers. evil It ends on a cliffhanger. Fortunately for the film, this cliffhanger is an exciting but still unresolved “Defying Gravity”.
meanwhile
Wonka
and
mean girls
Perhaps they wanted to broaden their audience by obscuring their musical nature.
evil
Since it is a popular musical anyway, its musical nature should be emphasized.
However, as Chu points out: evil trailersecured “”everyone knew it was a musical. ” No other recent musical film marketing has come close to this. both Wonka and mean girls Some audiences were surprised to learn that these films were musicals, as the trailers contained little or no songs. decision to emphasize evilThe song in the trailer represents a change in trends in modern musical films. Rather than hiding their true identity, evil‘s marketing embraced its musical roots.
One of the reasons for this alternative advertising strategy is: for evilits status as a musical is a selling point rather than a criticism. meanwhile Wonka and mean girls Perhaps they wanted to broaden their audience by obscuring their musical nature. evil Since it is a popular musical anyway, its musical nature should be emphasized. Needless to say, this production stars Grande, a prominent pop music star, so those who saw her in the trailer would expect a role that involved her singing.
Our take on the title ‘Wicked’
Wicked’s marketing team had a lot to think about
Mr. Chu seems confident in his decision, but evil Although divided into two parts, his statement does not clearly justify why the film was sold the way it was. The promotional channels didn’t hide the fact that it was a two-part series, but the title and trailer may have been decided to make viewers feel like they were enjoying the whole movie. evil Theater experience.
What This Means for the Wicked: Part 2
Subtitles are required for clarity
This marketing is evilwhich puts the franchise in an interesting position. Wicked: Part 2. They can’t sell second act adaptations as mere evil without causing confusion Or it looks like an immediate reboot. There is recent precedent for the subtitle distinction not being used in the planned Part 1 but being adopted in the second half. 2021 version directed by Denis Villeneuve dunes I did this because it’s just called Dune: Part 1 retroactively after this year’s release Dune: Part 2.
for dunesmodel, it’s not that unusual. evil To reserve subtitles as well Wicked: Part 2. on the other hand, part 1 The audience may have gone down slightly thanks to the add-ons, but I hope that’s the case this year. evil will be successful enough to give Wicked: Part 2 The necessary viewership momentum. Early audience reaction: evil It has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, which means that the musical version is likely to continue to generate box office success. The more successful this installment is, the higher the chances Wicked: Part 2 It’s at the box office.
Source: Gizmodo
Wicked is a two-part film adaptation of the Broadway musical about the unlikely friendship between green-skinned Elphaba and Glinda, a popular aristocrat in the land of Oz. As they progress down contrasting paths, they evolve into the good Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West.
- director
- John M. Chu
- release date
- November 22, 2024
- studio
- Marc Platt Productions
- distributor
- universal pictures
- writer
- Gregory Maguire, Winnie Holtzman, Dana Fox, L. Frank Baum
- cast
- Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Chiara Settle, Peter Dinklage, Aaron Teo , Grecia de la Paz, Colin Michael Carmichael, Adam James, Andy Nyman, Courtney Mae-Briggs, Sharon D. Clark, Jenna Boyd
- character
- Elphaba Thropp, Glinda Upland, Madame Morrible, Wizard, Fierro Tigelar, Me, Nesarose Thropp, Fanny, Shenshen, Miss Coddle, Dr. Dillamond (voice), Avaric Tenmeadows, Gilligan, Professor Nikidik, Glinda’s father, Governor Flexper Throp, Melena Throp, midwife
- runtime
- 160 minutes
