As Universal gears-up for the release of a sure-fire blockbuster, the highly anticipated “Wicked For Good”, it’s time to take a brief look back at 20 years of the studio’s dedication to adapting Broadway musicals for the big screen.
In 2005, Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprised their stage roles for the film version of “The Producers”. It wasn’t a massive U.S. box office success, making just $19 million, but it did earn Best Comedy Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards nominations, as well as GG noms for Lane (in Best Actor: Comedy or Musical), Will Ferrell (in Best Supporting Actor) and Mel Brooks (in the Original Song category).
One of 2008’s big summer success stories was “Mamma Mia!”, from director Phyllida Lloyd and starring Meryl Streep. (The two would re-team for 2011’s “The Iron Lady”, which won Streep her third Oscar.) “MM”, featuring the tunes of ABBA, grossed a whopping $700 million worldwide. No wonder Universal wanted to bring everyone back for “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” 10 years later. Lily James and Cher joined the star-studded ensemble for the delightful and emotional 2018 prequel/sequel. And there are rumors of a third installment. A 2028 release seems ideal.
And then there’s “Les Miserables”. “The King’s Speech” director Tom Hooper’s take on the iconic production, in which all the actors on screen — from Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe to Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried — sing live (as opposed to lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks) won three Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway. Universal heavily marketed this as a true cinematic event, to the tune of over $440 million around the world.
UNI and Hooper reunited for 2019’s “Cats”. I don’t think it’s *quite* the disaster many others believe, but for the most part it just didn’t translate well to the screen. Negative reviews, technical / production issues and audience reactions (from those who did see it) prevented this from getting past $78.4 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
Universal was also not thrilled with the low performance of 2021’s “Dear Evan Hansen”. The film version of the Tony-Winning Best Musical, with Ben Platt once again in the starring role, couldn’t get to $20 million total. You could blame the pandemic, the negative reviews or the fact that audiences just weren’t interested in this story. (I honestly don’t think the movie gets rough until the third act, and even then: Platt, Kaitlyn Dever and Amy Adams are able to rise above the material.)
Which brings us to “Wicked”. Last year, Part One from director Jon M. Chu (of WB’s 2021 “In the Heights”), starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, had a global gross of over $750 million and won two Academy Awards. It was a cultural phenomenon, and that energy will carry over into this month’s “Wicked For Good”, which is expected to be a prominent awards contender and box office juggernaut.
Which Broadway musicals will Universal want to bring to movie theaters next, and how long will they wait until investing in the next one? Off the success of the “Wicked”s, I’m sure UNI is carefully planning the next move.