Writers, directors and producers are constantly fighting to explore uncharted territory when it comes to deciding their upcoming projects. But the true goldmine in film production is within stories fans have already seen and grown to love. Bringing Broadway hits into theaters boosts the annual gross and the brand’s overall popularity. Phyllida Lloyd sprang on this idea with “Mamma Mia” the same way Jon M. Chu did with “Wicked”.
When stage productions are converted into films, the audience gains a more tangible way to enjoy the story. A play, while being an iconic and dignified method of viewing, causes audiences to leave that experience inside the live theater, unlike movies, where fans can rewatch, pause and rewind as much as they’d like.
Movie adaptations of musicals create more friction for the franchise and even the plays. When “Mamma Mia!” was released on screen in 2008, the stage production gained popularity, with yearly grosses increasing by well over $3 million. A very similar situation occurred 16 years later with Wicked, when its gross rose by $25 million after the release of “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good”.
Although it’s hard to predict the hypothetical, if Glinda and Elphaba were not brought to life by Arianna Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who knows if the movies would have had so much popularity? When fans heard that Grande had become “Glindafied” and was stepping back into the spotlight, it sparked a new interest among loyal fans, many of whom had stayed with her through her silence.
Very similarly, hearing Meryl Streep — best known as Miranda Priestly from “The Devil Wears Prada” — and Amanda Seyfried, beloved as Karen Smith from Mean Girls, coming together to recreate the stage show attracted both older and younger audiences alike. Fans who love these actresses are immediately pulled towards the film. They are subject to becoming walking advertisements through talking about the film, as well as bringing their friends and families along to watch. This phenomenon appears to be more common with movies than with stage performances.
It’s important to take note of the impeccable success of the stage performance of “Mamma Mia!”, opening in March of 1999 and becoming the eighth longest-running show on Broadway as of 2015. In its first year, the play generated a total of $48 million, which has gone up to $71 million today. On the flip side, the movie made over $143 million in its first 100 days, almost doubling its gross on Broadway.
“Wicked” is an even more successful example of this circumstance. The stage play opened with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth and was the fourth-longest-running show on Broadway, even winning three Tony Awards, with over 15. million people recorded in attendance.
The movie adaptation made over $112 million in the opening weekend, showing its outstanding execution. When combining the run time of both parts one and two, the run time adds up to a total of five hours and 15 minutes — about double the runtime of the play. This elongated run time allows viewers to really immerse themselves in the characters and their experiences, fostering deeper audience engagement. Furthermore, releasing the film in two parts causes two waves of conversation for the franchise, prolonging the movies’ relevance in the media.
When directors explore within the stories fans have grown to love as on-stage performances, they find opportunities to reignite a whole fan base. In the years post-adaptation, income for the brand skyrockets and increases the population of that fan base. “Mamma Mia” and “Wicked” are just two of the very many examples of this premium opportunity.