Historically, musicals have been highly popular in the film industry. While their popularity has waned in recent times, they still occasionally achieve significant box office success. This begs the question: why is Hollywood attempting to downplay the musical aspects of its films?
Melissa Barrera, who starred in “In the Heights,” has raised this concern. She has noticed a trend in trailers for musicals, such as “Mean Girls,” “Wonka,” and “The Color Purple,” omitting any musical numbers. This approach seems to aim at misleading viewers into attending these films unaware of their musical nature.
Barrera, an avid musical fan, expresses discomfort with this trend. She wonders if musicals are being negatively perceived by audiences due to declining quality standards. She speculates, “Maybe it’s a quality thing. Maybe the quality diminished, and then people started not liking them, and then that’s why they judge now everything that comes out.”
Barrera highlights that musicals were once prevalent in films, with characters frequently breaking into song. However, that practice has become less common in recent years. Despite the enduring popularity of musicals, studios appear confident in producing them but hesitant to promote them as such.
Even the trailer for “Wicked,” based on the renowned Broadway musical, excludes any singing. While most viewers are likely aware of its musical nature, some may be surprised upon seeing the film. Barrera acknowledges that she was unaware of “Wonka” being a musical, and anecdotal evidence suggests that some audience members have been caught off guard by the musical elements in these films.
Barrera specifically mentions the upcoming “Joker” sequel, which has been rumored to be a musical since its announcement. Despite this, the trailer for “Joker: Folie à Deux” lacks any musical cues. Barrera expresses, “Right now, The Joker sequel, they’re trying so hard to say that it’s not a musical when, dude, it is. Come on! We already know how many songs there are in the movie. It’s a musical, so this fear, like the trailer is not including any songs and stuff like that, … I think also audiences reject the idea of feeling manipulated, and so I think that makes it worse. They release a trailer where there’s no music, and you’re like, ‘What is that? What even is that?’ and then they release the last trailer a week before it comes out, and then they have music in it, and everyone’s confused.”
Adding to the confusion, the casting of Lady Gaga in “Joker 2” has been widely publicized due to her musical prowess. However, many moviegoers do not follow industry news and may miss these crucial details.
While musicals may not appeal to everyone, concealing their musical elements can also lead to audience frustration and a sense of manipulation. The current trend of downplaying musicals in trailers seems unlikely to subside anytime soon.
