Audiences Want More Original Movie Musicals

How It's Done, Done, Done

 By Mikii B

I’ve been wondering lately, and you can correct me if you believe that I am wrong my friends, but what ever happened to the original movie musical? I’m not talking about how Wicked finally received its movie adaptation or Disney’s newest princess movie. I’m talking about musicals that were created for film. Movies like 1952’s, “Singing in the Rain” with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds or “Meet Me in St. Louis” from 1940, starring the Judy Garland when she was just 21 years old. These films all happened during the Golden Age of Cinema (1920-1960) and it’s estimated that hundreds of musicals were created during this time. Many of which were concepts made for the movies, not the stage. I personally feel like we don’t have that anymore and I am left wondering why? Especially when musicals that hit the box office with unique concepts always have audiences eating them up! We are starving for one-of-a-kind ideas. “K-Pop Demon Hunters” hit Netflix last summer and earned $24.9 million during a special box office run while dominating pop culture and children's birthday parties on a global scale. This year also marks the 10 year anniversary of “La La Land” and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. To celebrate this film’s milestone, fans will be treated to a special theatrical return of the wistful yet nostalgic movie starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. This wouldn’t be the first time “La La Land” returns to theaters for a milestone celebration, yet each time it does, it makes 1 to 5 million upon replay.

However, “K-Pop Demon Hunters” and “La La Land” aren’t the only two movie musicals that have made an impact on the box office and in pop culture within the last ten years. “Sing”, an animated musical that came out the same year as “La La Land” in 2016, went on to conquer theaters. The film has a budget of $75 million dollars and grossed over an impressive $654.5 million, for a singing Gorilla! 3 years later, “Yesterday” would hit theaters. The story follows a man who lives in a world where he is the only one who remembers The Beatles and recreates their songs to find much success. The film was made with a budget only of $25 million and grossed over $154.9 million. The movie was well-received and is now in the works for a stage adaptation. In 2025, “Better Man” was released, which tells the story of musician Robbie Williams. Though it didn’t make over its budget, it was received well by critics earning an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.

All this does is prove, my friends, that we want original musicals. We yearn for them. Though we are sailing away slowly from 2026 and everything that will be released this year has been announced, we can hope that next year we get many more original ideas and songs. Unless you disagree with me and think that we are already there and I am just being greedy asking for more.

Though I still leave you with this my friends, to quote Elphaba, "I'm through accepting limits 'cause someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change, but till I try I'll never know!"