Wicked For Good is just weeks away now, and the first film saw fantastic success, not only at the global box office, but also through dominating retailer shelves and promotions with pink and green products. The big question is can the sequel, coming just 2 months later, replicate this feat, both in theaters and at retail, again?
Conquering the box office shouldn’t be too difficult, as anticipation for the concluding movie is high, and with such a short period of time between the two films there is little (re)education to do with audiences. In terms of competition the field is also fairly clear, especially for the mainly female, theater goers until the new Avatar film comes out 4 weeks later.
In terms of licensed products and promotions the marketing and licensing teams have done well not to have too many repeat partners across both films. Accoring to reports less than half of the 400 partners this time around were also partners on the first film. Obviously there are some key players such as Mattel, Funko and LEGO that of course have made products for both films. But overall by bringing newness to the second film they will reduce fatigue or the feeling that customers have already seen or bought that product.
As ever. some partnerships are more geared towards just creating buzz and being part of the ‘cultural conversation’ around the film franchise. Whereas others are the types of partnerships that you would usually only see for major long term IPs, such as Star Wars or Harry Potter. The Wicked Le Creuset Dutch Ovens in the signature green and pink being a clear example. One perhaps on the other end, is the Wicked spatula from Williams Sonoma.
In what definitely feels like a case of 'keeping it in the family' there is a double up of licensing on the Ariana Grande x Wicked Glinda Bubbly Pink Eau de Parfum from LUXE Brands.
Apparel is well covered by partners such as GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nordstrom, Old Navy, PUMA, Tilly’s, Roots, JC Penny, Marks & Spencers and Hot Topic. And if you want a travel cup you have plenty of options with Stanley, Yeti, Simple Modern, Silver Buffalo, Tervis & Zach Designs.
On the toy front, as well as new ranges from LEGO, Mattel, Funko, Just Play, Polly Pockets, Little People, Build-a-Bear, American Girl, Care Bears and Squishmallows there are also new board games with co-branded Monopoly and UNO sets.
Unsurprisingly the health and beauty partnerships have continued and expanded included Lush, Voluspa, Essie, Farmacy, Bubble & IT Cosmetics.
Slightly more surprising are the partnerships with a range of different cleaning products - including Swiffer, Cascade dishwasher pods, Febreze plug-ins, Gain detergent and Dawn dish soap.
And from an experiential point of view, fans can fully immerse themselves in a recreation of Elphaba’s Retreat, in partnership with AirBnB, without having to go to Oz, just Los Angeles. There is a three-hour experience or the option for an overnight stay.
So once again Wicked has pulled together a fully comprehensive licensing and promotions behemoth of partnerships with something to suit every fan. The hype machine this time around feels less intense but the film's hype is being built by great reviews.
Whether the fandom can handle this wide range of offerings for a second holiday season in a row is yet to be seen but given the positive sentiment around the film I wouldn’t bet against it.