Why Musical Movies Work

Theaters have two branches, I like to think: musicals and movies. However, in most recent years, these two worlds have collided, clearly exemplified by the upcoming Wicked: For Good film that has already begun ad promotions. But this begs the question of the necessity of these films, as both film and theater are two drastically different forms of media. 

It is obvious that these movie-adapted musicals have seen both sides of success, with Wicked drawing a resurgence in popularity, critics claiming “it's one of the best stage-to-screen adaptations ever” on Rotten Tomatoes, but others falling behind, such as 2024’s Mean Girls, which led to the jaw-dropping rise of YouTube videos discussing its downfall. Though these two films follow the concept of “your favorite musical, now on the big screen!” There are clear distinctions between them, highlighting how musical movies should be done.

Starting off with Mean Girls, which had its original iconic movie debut in 2004 and later a musical adaptation in 2017.  However, the movie adaptation of the musical came out to more negative than positive reviews, with one of the biggest issues being the music. Originally, the movie was not advertised through trailers as a musical, which many noted as an attempt to “suppress” the theatrical aspect. This was further proven when the movie aired,  multiple songs were adjusted, and quite a few significant ones were cut completely. This is largely seen in the comparison with “Stupid in Love,” originally a colorful, jumpy pop song that carried a clear personality, which was clearly adjusted to a large scale within the movie (I encourage you to listen to both versions). People saw this as a way to adjust the music to sound less theater, as avid fan and writer Liz Morin put it within her own article review. Bottom line, the directors did their best to hide the musical aspect of a musical movie, and it clearly showed through poor fan reviews.

On the other hand, there is simply no measure to Wicked’s success, making almost $756.4 million at the box office, paired with merch, special screenings, and an impossible amount of ad promotion. Many fans from the musical can reminisce, as, in contrast to Mean Girls, the movie stayed loyal to the songs, with most songs having a similar sound to their original counterparts. They amplified the plot, which is a given for film, but they kept all the aspects of the musical intact, feeding into the magic of musical theater. This is why it worked. While staying loyal to the original work, Director Jon M. Chu was able to amplify the theatrical whimsy, satisfying old and new fans alike. Hopefully, this trend will continue into the second act, released in theaters on November 21, 2025!

 So, when it comes to musical movies, it's best to be loyal to the script you’ve been given, as it may bring life to the media of the past!