Picture this: the moment when popcorn-clutching movie lovers discovered that the playful world of Wonka and the sassy halls of Mean Girls weren’t just cinematic adventures, but secret musical extravaganzas! The surprise was real, and it caught the audience’s attention. From the quirky candy factory to the pink high school experience, let’s see how some hiccups in the movie marketing game led to this unexpected discovery. It’s a real life plot twist. It went from “Can’t wait to watch this movie” to “Wait, it’s a musical?” Some enjoyed the musical twist to the remake and prequel, but some were less pleased. Grab some snacks because it is a real debate! 

Denmark High school student Ryan Watcher went to see both movies in the theater. He had no idea what was ahead of him. “It caught me by surprise,” Ryan said. “I didn’t think that Mean Girls would ever be a musical, but I ended up liking it.” He shared that he saw many short clips and trailers for Mean Girls online, yet they never showed that it was going to be a musical. “For me, I’ve always enjoyed watching musicals, and sometimes it makes movies more interesting; for Mean Girls it felt a bit unnecessary but turned out to be pretty enjoyable.” Ryan expressed that on the other hand, Wonka was amusing from start to finish. He shared that, “I genuinely loved Wonka, and the songs were great, and it gave it a whole new meaning.” Ryan has always enjoyed plays, musicals, and theater, so Ryan shared that, “I’d like to hear the perspectives of people who don’t enjoy musicals as much though.”

 “I didn’t think that Mean Girls would ever be a musical, but I ended up liking it.”- Ryan Watchter

Junior at Denmark, Avery Huffman hasn’t ever enjoyed musicals and hasn’t gone out her way to see one. Watching Mean Girls and Wonka left her confused as to why they were made into musicals. Avery shared that, “I didn’t understand why they made Mean Girls into a musical; it was more cringe than enjoyable for me.” Avery said that remakes are pointless and big hit movies shouldn’t always be made again. She said it “Always ruins the vibe of the original.” Avery enjoyed Wonka more than Mean Girls. She said “In Wonka the songs were actually enjoyable and it made sense, but there’s just no need.” Avery was a big fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory from 2005. She brought an interesting take to this, claiming, “If the 2005 version of Willy Wonka came out to be a musical, everyone would be confused by that.” Maybe the marketing for these movies should have clarified that these films were musicals, or maybe it was on purpose to get the people talking.

In a nutshell, the media’s been playing hide-and-seek with musical surprises in films like Mean Girls and Wonka. Is this a marketing mystery or strategy, and does it add or subtract the audience’s hype? We got both perspectives: Avery, who didn’t like it so much, and Ryan, who found it exciting. Like a plot twist, we dove into why it’s crucial to spill the beans or keep the musical magic under wraps based on what makes the crowd dance in their seats. Like always, there’s people more drawn to one thing than the other. This marketing strategy balanced the tease and the reveal of both fantastic films!