The Rest Is Entertainment Will Wicked 2 Help Hollywood Defy Gravity?
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Nov 25, 2025 Discover how Wicked 2 pulled off a $150 million opening amidst Hollywood's struggles. Explore the impact of IMAX and innovative marketing strategies behind its success. Dive into the decline of traditional movie stardom and the rise of IP over individual actors. Unpack the emotional appeal of Christmas advertising, particularly John Lewis's approach. Also, hear about Rosalía's avant-garde album, Lux, and how AI is shaping advertising, with Coca-Cola as a case study.
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Wicked Broke The Box-Office Slump
- Wicked: For Good opened to $150M and lifted a recent box-office slump.
- Its opening sits between Barbie and Lilo & Stitch in scale, showing event films still draw massive crowds.
Sequels Can Outperform Classic Franchises
- The film became the biggest ever second episode of a fantasy series, topping Potter and LOTR sequels.
- That underscores franchise sequencing and event timing still power modern tentpoles.
Culture-Scale Campaigns Beat Solo Releases
- Multi-platform cultural saturation, not just theatrical release, fuels modern hits.
- Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's relentless cross-medium promotion amplified Wicked's reach.
