It's time to get "Wicked" at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Universal's theme parks this month are celebrating (okay, hyping) the release on November 22 of Universal Pictures' "Wicked," the first half of the movie adaptation of the second-highest grossing musical in Broadway history. (Trailing only Disney's "The Lion King," to answer the inevitable question.)
At USH, Hollywood & Dine on the Upper Lot is offering a special "Wicked"-themed menu for a limited time. Here is what is available:
Two cocktails and a mocktail complete the special menu: an Ozmopolitan ($18), a Spellbinding Collins ($18), and a non-alcoholic Ozdust Punch, with grapefruit soda splashed with pineapple and lime juice and a non-alcohol Blue Curacao ($11).
In general, I encourage theme park visitors to seek out new and limited-time food in the parks. The new stuff gets the most attention from senior leadership in a park's kitchens, helping ensure the highest possible quality that the park is willing to pay for. New items also often feature the most refreshing flavors on site, before complaining guests with sugar- and fat-deadened palates demand they be replaced with mediocre alternatives.
So how did the "Wicked" menu at Hollywood & Dine fare?
I tried the Grilltastical Chicken Wrap and Roastified Corn Flatbread, and the chicken wrap delivered for me. The veggies brightened the flavor, and the spinach tortilla kept the package together without weighing it down. This was a tasty meal, well worth a try when visiting the park.
The flatbread did not do as much for me, however. Elote plus flatbread ought to be a winner, but this one needed some sauce to bind the corn to the flatbread. Without one, the corn and Cotija cheese just slid off the dry bread, making this a far inferior alternative to just eating an elote off the cob, the old-fashioned way. How hard would it have been to smear a little chipotle mayo across this before loading on the corn?
Elsewhere in the park, the Feature Presentation store next to the restaurant is all "Wicked" merch now. Outside the park, Universal Cinema in CityWalk is showing off four screen-worn costumes from "Wicked." These are the real deal, says Universal, and not the replicas being displayed elsewhere.
You also can find special "Wicked"-themed milkshakes at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, as well as more merch at the UNIVRS store on CityWalk. The Starbucks on property also are offering themed drinks for the upcoming movie.
So what about getting an actual "Wicked" themed attraction or land in the park? It's "vote your money" time.
If fans push "Wicked" past the billion-dollar mark at the box office, and theme park fans spend big on the Wicked-themed food and merch in Hollywood and Orlando, it's going to be an easy sell for Mark Woodbury and his team at Universal Destinations & Experiences to get the green light from the Comcast C-Suite to spend big money on new Wicked-themed lands and attractions. But if the movie flops, then this might be fans' one and only chance to experience anything "Wicked" at the Universal Parks. This ain't magic; it's money.
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Wicked will be huge...The presale tix are #2 for the entire year, second only to Deadpool & Wolverine (Once again bested by a Disney IP, just like the Lion King on Broadway)
What could really help Wicked is repeat business. If a musical hits (Greatest Showman) audiences will conitue to turn out. I wouldn't be surprised if this is able to clear a billion.
Those wicked Stanley cups sold out instantly at Targets on day one of their release. Chaos ensued from folks trying to get this merchandise.
@Jay R.- The repeat business is what I would be worried about here because Universal is not openly marketing the fact that this movie is the first act, and the second movie is not due until next November. Frankly, I think they're in a Catch 22 here, because Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One was clearly marketed as the first installment of what will be a 2-movie storyline and it ended up underperforming when all was said and done (started hot but cooled off quickly). I could see a lot of folks who are interested in Wicked seeing it and then feeling betrayed by the ultimate cliffhanger following the most well-known song in the show, which will not only impact those who aren't hard core fans from wanting to watch it again right now (they might want to rewatch next year in the lead up to the sequel), but also in the word of mouth from frustrated audiences that had no idea the story was being split into 2 movies released a year apart.
I have no doubt that Wicked will be big out of the gate and the timing with plenty of runway leading into Christmas should provide steady returns through the end of the year. However, I just get the feeling that the oversaturation (the marketing is inescapable right now) and some of the issues I've noted will temper the returns to keep the final revenue below the $1 billion mark.
@Russell, those are good points...(And Mission Impossible ended up changing the title of its upcoming second part altogether)
There's a chance audiences "may" not respond positively to it, but the have been films than have successfully pulled it off without it impacting box office ( Across the Spider-verse was did it)
I think IF the reviews & audience response to the film are strong enough, it will get repeat business through the holidays with families. Moana 2 opens a week later...(and Mufasa isn't until later Dec) so there's a chance it can avoid any part 1 disappointment.
I aslo think social media may play a part if fans start something. We saw it with Barbie & "wearing pink", and with Minions & people dressing up. Wouldn't be surprised to see something with a choose "Glinda or Ephaba" trend.
Missed opportunity to sell Adele Dazeem Green Ice Cream
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All of the analysts are indicating that Wicked will be a massive hit, and the timing of the release (during the lucrative holiday season) and massive marketing campaign are really driving up interest in the film. However, the roll out has not been flawless with a bit of controversy over on social media when a fan received some backlash from one of the stars for creating their own poster for the movie that more accurately reflected marketing for the musical (Cynthia Erivo took exception with her face being obscured in the fan poster). There was also the recent issue of toys needing to be recalled because the packaging referred to an adult website.
Personally I've never seen Wicked on stage (we tried to get standby tickets once, but didn't win what was the biggest lottery on Broadway at the time - long before Hamilton), but I'm pretty aware of the popularity of the musical and especially the appeal of Ariana Grande. However, I just don't know how big of a fanbase is out there that will flood theaters to get this over the billion dollar mark, particularly when it's widely reported that the film ends with "Fighting Gravity" as the musical does in Act 1, forcing the audience to wait for Part 2/Act 2. I think Universal is going to get a boatload of backlash from people not realizing the story will not run its course in this film - just as WB got from not more clearly marketing Joker Folies a Deux as a musical.