Hairspray musical movie question

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 12:01am

Was the movie fast tracked? It seems like it came out too soon after the opening of the show on Broadway. I know 2008 was the beginning of the recession, but if they waited to release the movie I would think it would have had a longer life.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 12:10am

Are you talking about the show, as in the movie caused it to close?

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 12:17am

I know there's the argument that a movie helps spark interest in a show, but when there is a movie that you could buy on dvd for a fraction of the cost of a ticket to the Broadway show the show would suffer.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 1:00am

It's all speculation, though there is some hefty precedent. 

[nycgogetter]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 1:04am

I think someone has done the research, and they found that movies of running Broadway shows help name recognition about actually boost sales (Phantom, Chicago, Rock of Ages . . . there was one other one I think . . . )

[gypsy101]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 1:14am

the show opened on Broadway five years before the film was in theaters. I don't think that was too soon. Sure it closed 17 months after that but that was when the economy was in the crapper and lots of shows were closing. They also felt that John Travolta was necessary to the success of the film and I bet they figured he wouldn't wait forever to do it.

Updated On: 9/25/16 at 01:14 AM

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 1:23am

There are also a lot of hits that closed soon after their films. ANNIE, HELLO DOLLY, FIDDLER, GREASE, RENT, HAIRSPRAY.

Not at all saying that one way or the other is true just posing some counter examples for arguments sake. AND most of those are pre-home video so that would not be a factor.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 1:34am

sure but all those ones you listed were huge hits that lasted longer than most shows that came before them. it was a feat for shows like Grease and Dolly and Fiddler to last as long as they did back then. Rent still lasted 3 years past its film's release. I don't see much correlation tbh.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 1:47am

Not saying there is one! I don't think it really matters and there are too many variables to try to do a proper examination.

[asmith0307]

Posted: 9/25/16 at 2:09am

You're also ignoring the fact that it was a movie first, then the Broadway show, then back to the movie. I wouldn't say that the second movie definitively hurt it anymore than the fact it was a screen-to-stage adaptation in the first place.