While most films offer a sort of distraction from reality, musicals are often a utopia of wealth and happiness (Belton, 2009). Through dazzling song and dance, they make routine look like pageantry and loneliness feel like individuality. Even the most conservative of musicals transform the everyday into a spectacle, transitioning dramatic tensions into a melodic fanfare. Singing liberates the characters to express themselves in a way that mere words never could, giving them a freedom from the doldrums of reality that moviegoers long for. The difficulties of society seem much more manageable when crooned about, and while we know we cannot actually sing our problems away, musicals can provide a temporary escape.
It is not completely clear what …show more content…
Chicago, Mamma Mia!, and Hairspray all premiered in theaters while their counterparts were still on Broadway. There is a reciprocity to these relationships as the marketing prowess of Hollywood gets the name of the productions out to the masses, and a hit Broadway show produces excitement around the film for those far from the stage (“Return of the Hollywood Movie Musical, n.d.). However, the same scenario was true of The Producers so Hollywood cannot rely solely on the Broadway rapport. Another theory looks at the choices in cast and directors. Famous actors can make a film a success (Belton, 2009). Chicago boasted a few big-name celebrities as well as a director with a long Broadway history, whereas Fame featured mostly unknown actors with a music video choreographer serving as director. However, the Sweeney Todd cast nearly rivaled Mamma Mia in star power yet consistently pulled in a measly third of the revenue at the box office proving that even the biggest celebrities are not guaranteed to bring in a crowd if they start singing (Rottenberg, …show more content…
The success of Glee on television led the way for such hits as Pitch Perfect. And, while those films did not blur the lines between musical reality and narrative reality to be considered true musicals, Pitch Perfect 2 made more at the box office than Chicago, meaning that people may want to sing along under the right circumstances (“Pitch Perfect Battle”, n.d.). The High School Musical franchise may also be creating a new generation of musical fans, while Disney also continues to appeal to little ones through new animated films such as Frozen and Moana. However, because these hits have been few and far between, it remains to be seen if musicals can make a full-fledged
It is not completely clear what …show more content…
Chicago, Mamma Mia!, and Hairspray all premiered in theaters while their counterparts were still on Broadway. There is a reciprocity to these relationships as the marketing prowess of Hollywood gets the name of the productions out to the masses, and a hit Broadway show produces excitement around the film for those far from the stage (“Return of the Hollywood Movie Musical, n.d.). However, the same scenario was true of The Producers so Hollywood cannot rely solely on the Broadway rapport. Another theory looks at the choices in cast and directors. Famous actors can make a film a success (Belton, 2009). Chicago boasted a few big-name celebrities as well as a director with a long Broadway history, whereas Fame featured mostly unknown actors with a music video choreographer serving as director. However, the Sweeney Todd cast nearly rivaled Mamma Mia in star power yet consistently pulled in a measly third of the revenue at the box office proving that even the biggest celebrities are not guaranteed to bring in a crowd if they start singing (Rottenberg, …show more content…
The success of Glee on television led the way for such hits as Pitch Perfect. And, while those films did not blur the lines between musical reality and narrative reality to be considered true musicals, Pitch Perfect 2 made more at the box office than Chicago, meaning that people may want to sing along under the right circumstances (“Pitch Perfect Battle”, n.d.). The High School Musical franchise may also be creating a new generation of musical fans, while Disney also continues to appeal to little ones through new animated films such as Frozen and Moana. However, because these hits have been few and far between, it remains to be seen if musicals can make a full-fledged