The success of ‘Wicked’ is already incontestable. In Spain, it is true, due to the lack of roots of the musical on which it is based, virtually unknown to the general public, it has had much weaker receipts than in the United States. And yet, in three weeks it has earned 4.36 million euros, and is calculated that will reach six. It is working better than in other countries such as Italy, and Spain is already one of the 10 best international markets for the film, a scene in which it has grossed a total of 164 million euros.
In the United States, the bomb. As the weeks go by, ‘Wicked’ is breaking records. With more than 330 million dollars raised in three weeks, it is already the fourth highest-grossing musical in history, and also the fourth film to surpass the 300 million barrier this year, along with hits of the caliber of ‘Inside out 2’, ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ and ‘Gru 4’. The forecast is that it will soon surpass the latter and enter the podium of the three highest-grossing films of the year.
It’s not piracy, and if it is it doesn’t matter. Since the day of the premiere, social networks like Twitter or Tik Tok are full of recorded videos sloppily with mobile in movie theaterswhich show, among other things, the epic ending of the film. Spoilers, piracy? No matter: it is a reverential expression of pure joy on the part of the fans, a gesture of love so clear that Universal has not taken the typical actions against these users, reporting content so that the platforms remove them.
The best advertising. Aware that they are not going to nip this behavior in the bud, the companies consent to it, because they know that the dissemination of specific fragments of the films is not going to harm the box office, and in any case it will pique the curiosity of more than one viewer. According to says an executive in Variety: “Something has happened after the pandemic: behavior in movie theaters has really changed.”
Different relationships. The anonymous executive specifies the phenomenon, stating that viewers “have a different relationship with the material, everything is content for them.” More examples: in ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ fans not only uploaded clips reacting to the multiple cameos in the footage, but Ryan Reynolds himself redistributed his videos. Whether it is a commercial strategy or, simply, that Universal is not willing to stop at these minutiae, an extra is added to all this: people are not only cheering at the screen or recording it, but accompanying the songs. And Cynthia Erivo, protagonist of the film, agree with this behavior from the fans who know the songs.
One more sign of devotion. There are experts who qualify this behavior “intolerable” due to the inconvenience they cause, but the clips and photos do not stop reaching networks. Networks like AMC have launched advertisements and campaigns that They beg the public not to sing. The circle finally closes with Universal’s announcement that Christmas Day 1000 will be released singalongs throughout the United Statesmovies with the lyrics of the songs included and where singing is allowed. The ‘Wicked’ phenomenon thunders in the theaters… literally.
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