Before Wicked hit theaters last year, Oz felt inescapable. Trailer after trailer, clips and TV spots, brand deals—and yes, the press tour that felt like it went on forever, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande giving social media new meme fodder every other week for months on end (who is still left to hold space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity�). But with its continuation, Wicked: For Good, about to hit theaters, things have felt decidedly different: fewer meme-y interviews, and way, way more brand collabs.
For Good has managed to make viral moments of its own either way—for better or worse, as was the case in Singapore this week when a fan caused commotion rushing at stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, prompting a security scare—but the rollout for the second movie has had a decidedly curtailed period. For Good‘s debut trailer hit in summer, six months before its release, compared to the 9-month-early Super Bowl 2024 debut for its predecessor. Its stars have appeared in curated fan events and at premiere rollouts (or special broadcasts such as Wicked: One Wonderful Night) rather than at the press junkets that blanketed 2024.
The reason? Universal wanted to be slightly less than “just short of obnoxious†this year, according to Universal’s chief marketing officer, Michael Moses (via Variety), with For Good largely getting to ride on the witchy coattails of Wicked‘s marketing campaign already doing the legwork to make the franchise a cultural moment. Universal has spent around $90 million promoting For Good compared to the $150 million it spent in 2024 on the first film. Instead, all that promo has been replaced with merch—and lots of it.
According to Variety, while the number of brand collabs that For Good has done matches a similar total for the original film—around 400—just 165 of those are repeat collabs. With Universal rolling out more and more absurd partnerships weekly for months as part of “Wicked Wednesdays†(“highlights†include Lexus ads, wildly priced American Girl Dolls, and yes, Glinda and Elphaba-themed Swiffer mops), the theme of the return to Oz has been about getting audiences to spend, spend, spend, rather than the studio itself.
It might pay off for Universal, too. For Good is currently tracking to open bigger than Wicked‘s $112 million debut, and the first movie went on to bring in three-quarters of a billion dollars worldwide. Can lightning strike twice in the Emerald City? Either way, Oz has become one of the most lucrative locales in Hollywood.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Original Source: https://gizmodo.com/wicked-for-good-marketing-collabs-universal-2000686026
Original Source: https://gizmodo.com/wicked-for-good-marketing-collabs-universal-2000686026
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