What’s With All the Singing in Movies (Movie Musicals) Lately?

“If one more character breaks into song” 

We don’t know about you, but it feels like every movie released recently has some singing in it.

If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, it’s a genre of film (which has been around for yonks) called the movie musical, or musical movie. Popular movie musicals include Grease, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge and even The School of Rock.

If you scroll through Netflix, Disney or even another streaming service, you’d be able to find one easily.

In an article online, Sundance Film Festival said it’s a double-edged sword for films when they add in the musical element.

“Adding a musical element is a surefire way to up the difficulty level of creating a film while also opening the narrative up to a deeper exploration of themes that can’t be told any other way,” they said.

But recent movie musicals haven’t been hitting…the mark with some of Gen Z.

They haven’t been marketed as musicals.

How many times recently have you watched a trailer, gone to see the movie, and then thought ‘I didn’t know this was a musical?’.

Our guess is a lot. When one Student Edge member went to watch Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes last year, they said, “there was a lot of singing.”

The reason you’re being surprised by all the singing is because studios aren’t marketing these films as musicals – and it’s obvious to viewers.

Boxoffice Pro chief analyst Shawn Robbins told The Hollywood Reporter that these newer movie musicals haven’t been marketed like that because previous movie musicals have flopped at the box office. Namely films like West Side Story and Cats.

So the lack of marketing is the reason Wonka, Mean Girls and The Color Purple don’t give off those musical vibes from their trailers.

We Gen Z don’t love the surprise singing.

However, Gen Z doesn’t love the lack of transparency.

If we’re going to watch a musical movie, we want to know what to expect it. There’s nothing worse than paying for a movie ticket (you can get cheap ones here) and then someone singing halfway through.

A group of cinema-goers actually groaned out loud when Kady played by Angourie Rice, started singing in the Mean Girls: Musical movie.

Which is not what we want.

We just want authenticity.

Overall, Gen Z just want to know what to expect when they go watch a movie.

If it’s an action film, call it an action film. If it’s a comedy, call it a comedy.

And if it’s a musical movie, call it a musical movie.

Whether you’re watching a movie musical or not, Student Edge members can grab $12.50 HOYTS tickets.

Header Image: Paramount Pictures & Warner Brothers.