A still from the film “Wicked.”
Source: Universal Studios
Universal is hoping the excitement around “Wicked” can hang around — for good.
The movie studio faces a unique challenge: promote and release two build-on films just one year apart. Part one of the “Wicked” cinematic project dazzled at the box office, collecting more than $700 million in global ticket sales through Sunday. Not only did it have the highest opening of any theatrical Broadway adaptation, but it is also now the highest-grossing film based on a Broadway musical, according to data from Comscore.
The question for Universal ahead of the release of part two — “Wicked: For Good,” due out in November — is how to keep its biggest fans engaged without alienating its more casual audiences.
Marketing experts told CNBC that pent-up demand for the movie, combined with the first film’s success, makes promoting its follow-up much easier.
“[Generating] close to $500 million is an amazing feat for that film,” said Mike Polydoros, CEO at cinematic marketing agency PaperAirplane Media. “They have all these fans who have seen the movie over and over again and came to the sing-alongs. They’ve marked their calendars for the second part of the movie.
“So, the marketing of it is more about keeping that group engaged and keeping them [informed] … and giving them just enough nuggets without oversaturating,” Polydoros said.
Universal already has one thing working in its favor: When it launches the marketing campaign for “Wicked: For Good,” it will be able to add best picture Academy Award nominee to its franchise promotions.
On Thursday, the studio snared 10 nominations for “Wicked,” including for lead actress, supporting actress, film editing, sound, score, production design, costume, visual effects and makeup and hairstyling.
A yellow brick road map
The overall marketing plan for “Wicked: For Good” is expected to be similar to the playbook used for “Wicked” with a few alterations to keep it fresh and avoid oversaturating audiences.
Universal jumpstarted the first film’s advertising strategy with a teaser trailer that ran during the Super Bowl in February. The nearly 90-second spot gave fans their first glimpse of Oz, as well as Cynthia Erivo’s triumphant battle cry from “Defying Gravity,” the closing number of the first act of the Broadway musical.
“There wasn’t a debate,” Michael Moses, Universal’s chief marketing officer, told Variety back in November. “When you’re working on materials, you always have those kinds of conversations. But if there’s a single sound associated with ‘Wicked,’ it’s certainly that end to ‘Defying Gravity.’ … Ending that spot with it felt assured and inescapably the right call.”
The Super Bowl ad spot was followed up by another teaser trailer at the annual CinemaCon in Las Vegas in April and a quick appearance from Elphaba (Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). The co-stars attended the Met Gala in New York City a month later, walking the red carpet together and closing out the…
Read More: For Good’ creates a unique marketing challenge
