As anticipation builds for the upcoming adaptation of “Wicked,” a beloved Broadway musical, it raises questions about what makes a musical succeed or flop on the big screen. Over the past decade, this trend of musical-to-movie adaptations has become quite popular in Hollywood. However, many of these films have surprisingly missed the mark and failed to effectively transition from the stage to the screen. So, what factors of these adaptations contribute to the overall reception from audiences and critics?
Certain notable “flops” in recent years include “Dear Evan Hansen” (2021) and “Mean Girls” (2024). Despite these shows having had fairly significant fanbases from their Broadway runs, neither were received well by audiences. Certain casting decisions likely played into the negative feedback the movies received. When attempting to translate a musical to a film, casting can be incredibly difficult when considering the different qualifications for Broadway versus movie actors, and that actors trained for the screen would also require musical talent. In “Dear Evan Hansen”, audiences generally disagreed with the reprisal of Ben Platt as the main character, Evan Hansen, mainly because he was 27 at the time of filming, while his character was a high school student. While the intention of casting him was likely to maintain aspects of the original musical and actors, unfortunately, it did not pan out and was honestly quite detrimental to the movie’s success. Similarly, with the 2024 adaptation of “Mean Girls”, audiences were disappointed with the casting and performance of Angourie Rice as Cady Heron due to her lack of a musical background.
Casting, however, only accounts for a portion of criticism towards unsuccessful movie musicals. Similar to book adaptations, one of the most difficult aspects of creating these movies is the struggle to preserve the original content of the show in an organic and refreshing way. While fanbases of the shows are likely to hope for an adaptation with minimal deviation, it is also important to consider that in order to succeed commercially. Movie creators aim to appeal to a wide audience, and changes are often made to do so. This may include cutting out arguably unnecessary content or adjusting certain plot points to accurately reflect today’s society.
A lot of the excitement for the release of “Wicked” next month can be attributed to these two aspects that “Dear Evan Hansen” (2021) and “Mean Girls” unfortunately missed the mark on. Ariana Grande is arguably one of the most famous actresses/singers in today’s media; additionally, she has also demonstrated a love for “Wicked” and a desire to take on a role in it for years. Cynthia Erivo is a dedicated actress and singer with a background in theater, and she is the recipient of a Tony Award, Emmy Award and a Grammy Award. Both of these actresses are certainly qualified to take on the iconic roles of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively, and fans are certainly excited to see the characters and the musical they are familiar with reprised on the big screen. Whether a musical film adaptation ultimately succeeds or fails is determined by several factors; however, I am optimistic that “Wicked” will be able to live up to the high expectations.
