Ready for another “Wicked” year?

Last year, Wicked defied gravity the odds of movie musicals, making its way into mainstream culture and topping the box office like none before it.

But the witches of Oz now have to walk a fine line between avoiding oversaturation and keeping audiences interested ahead of the Part Two release – Wicked: For Good – later this year.

The initial marketing campaign was in-your-face by design. Universal chief marketing officer Michael Moses said his mission with promoting the first Wicked was being “just short of obnoxious.”

• Universal partnered with 400+ brands for marketing purposes, rolled out stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for surprise appearances at the 2024 MET Gala and Summer Olympics, and built anticipation with intentional “leaks” and sneak peeks.
• Their efforts paid off; Wicked earned $643 million globally plus 10 Oscar nominations.

But now the strategy is slow and steady. While Universal used the Super Bowl to jumpstart its marketing campaign for the initial film, the company chose to hold off from running a Wicked: For Good trailer in last Sunday’s contest.

The key is to find the right balance between keeping the large group of existing Wicked fans engaged, and avoiding audience oversaturation with too much content, marketing experts say.

🏜️ A prime example: Dune: Part 2 utilized a similar balanced marketing approach to become one of the biggest films of 2024, grossing ~$714 million worldwide.