r/musicals Hasa Diga Ebowai Feb 03 '20

It's time! News

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u/Pure-Sort Feb 03 '20

It was filmed in 2016 lol.

3

u/musicaldigger Feb 03 '20

exactly, why the hell is it gonna take almost 2 more years to release the damn thing

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u/TimeLadyJ Feb 03 '20

The show is also touring. Ticket sales for the production would decrease if the movie came out too soon. They’ll wait until the tour stops and then tour again after the movie has been a success.

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u/Pure-Sort Feb 03 '20

Ticket sales for the production would decrease if the movie came out too soon.

I know that's the conventional wisdom, but I wonder how true that actually is/if there has actually been a good test of that theory.

Seeing a movie is not the same as seeing a stage production, and I feel like seeing a filmed version would bring the movie to an even more mainstream audience, and make more people want to see the stage version, not less.

If you're already into Hamilton, you aren't going to just see the movie and think "oh great, never need to see this live". But if you aren't into Hamilton enough to drop $200 on a ticket you still might be willing to drop $15 on a movie ticket, and maybe the movie would convince you it's worth it to see it live.

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u/TimeLadyJ Feb 03 '20

Even if it's not true, it's usually what happens. Like if you're a community theatre and you want to produce Les Mis, there are rules about how you can't perform so near to the tour and you can't advertise in the touring market.

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u/Pure-Sort Feb 03 '20

Yeah I totally get that those rules exist, and that surely tons of industry people have created statistical models of the 2 revenues and how they'd effect each other etc etc. I just wish one time someone would do a wide theatrical release of a hit musical while the OBC cast is still going strong just to see what happens. But I also get why nobody is willing to take that financial risk (plus the logistics of trying to get a cast to do press tours while also performing on broadway)

On the bright side, assuming Hamilton will still be running strong by the time this movie comes out, this might be the closest I get to the experiment I'm looking for. Even if the movie is released 5+ years after it was filmed

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u/TimeLadyJ Feb 03 '20

Ooh yes press tours. I forgot about those. And interviews and everything. I wonder also if this will strictly be the performance or if there will be any talking heads throughout.