The marketing and advertising for the movie Wicked have been so impressive. I’ve seen the advertisements everywhere: online, on television, in New York City, France and Louisiana. This campaign has been national and international in order to encourage as many people as possible to watch the movie. The budget for the movie was about $150 million, and every dollar was well spent.
This movie broke records in box office sales nationally and internationally. Domestically, it garnered $114 million during opening week and globally $164.2 million. The movie was great, but I would say that the marketing should be given the most credit for its achievements.
While in New York City, I saw advertisements for Wicked everywhere. I went to Ulta in Times Square to pick up some makeup products and noticed that the entire second floor was Wicked-themed. There was a massive advertisement on the wall. Half of it was pink and featured Glinda, who is played by Ariana Grande and the other half was green and featured Elphaba, who is played by Cynthia Erivo.
The seating area, hair care stations and decor were all either pink or green. I’ve also seen popular buildings like the Arc de Triomphe in France, lit up in a mixture of pink and green to advertise the movie. It’s hard to ignore the movie’s presence.
On another note, I’ve seen many people complain about the interviews that the cast of Wicked have participated in. Obviously, these interviews are needed to help promote the movie and are effective when it comes to publicity, but I fear that I have to agree with the public’s sentiments.
I watched Wicked, and certain scenes made me emotional, but they weren’t enough to make me ball my eyes out. In every interview I have seen of Grande and Erivo, they cry and hold one another as if they went through hell and back while shooting the movie. Part of me feels as though their reactions are performative.
It’s not that big of a deal because I know that in the world of theater and cinema, performance is key, but seeing it extend into real-life interviews takes me aback just a little. It comes off as a bit ingenuous. Who knows, maybe the filming of this movie was actually as sentimental as they appear to be making it seem, but again, I know how important it is in advertising to sell one’s ideas, so I’m on the fence.
Outside of the advertising blitz worldwide and heartfelt tears, it is clear that the entire cast of Wicked has tons of chemistry, and whoever chose the actresses and actors for the roles did a phenomenal job.
Since it is a musical, I think both Grande and Erivo were the best singers for Glinda and Elphaba. I also have to admit that the marketing for the movie made me watch it. I hadn’t seen a trailer for it, but the way different companies collaborated with Wicked’s production company was so creative and beautiful that I knew I had to watch it.
The movie was just as good as the advertising. I recommend that everyone watch it because although it focuses on a fairytale story, the underlying messages about real-life issues like racism, colorism and oppression stand out strongly. Wicked will go down as one of the best musicals to ever grace our screens because of its well-thought-out storyline, marketing and casting decisions.
Amyri Jones is a 22-year-old digital advertising and religious studies senior from Baton Rouge, La.
