Why no Demand for Frozen? Any Thoughts ?- Page 4

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 11:33am

uncageg said: "This is only a thought but, is it possible that "... Cursed Child" has stolen some of Frozen's thunder? "

You can't steal what isn't there. That said, I don't think they appeal to the same age range. Frozen would skew younger, no?

[HGorn]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 11:46am

Wow what happened to this show??  Has demand already died?  https://www1.ticketmaster.com/frozen-ny-new-york-new-york-05-02-2018/event/300052FCE36C1CAA?

Posted: 4/30/18 at 11:49am

Yikes. Hopefully once schools let out it picks up. Crazy for a Disney show.

[Notreallysilent 2]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 11:56am

Why did frozen not release any of these seats during the original release? I get kaybe the orchestra and house seats but why the balcony? At least half of it is open for tomorrow

[JennH]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 12:00pm

haterobics said: "uncageg said: "This is only a thought but, is it possible that "... Cursed Child" has stolen some of Frozen's thunder? "

You can't steal what isn't there. That said, I don't think they appeal to the same age range. Frozen would skew younger, no?"

Personally I do think it's a factor. Maybe not the biggest factor, but still. This is what has been lovingly called the "Battle of the Brands" season, so I can't imagine it doesn't play into it in some way, even if the demographics are different.

HGorn said-Wow what happened to this show??  Has demand already died?  https://www1.ticketmaster.com/frozen-ny-new-york-new-york-05-02-2018/event/300052FCE36C1CAA?

YIKES INDEED. I do not remember May being that empty at all when I checked recently because when I did, April, May and much of June was pretty well sold...is returning tickets allowed for this or is that literally just HP? I swear, I remember May being damn close to being sold out, there's certainly way more empty seats (as in NOT the resale ones) than when I checked last. This doesn't bode well. I think a few things play into this. Brand season obviously to a degree, but Frozen saturation over these few years...people are over it. Also...yeah I keep hearing it's not good. Things in life are circular as has been said and I think we've reached the part in the circle where audiences are wanting quality again. Maybe.

[JennH]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 12:02pm

Notreallysilent 2 said: "Why did frozen not release any of these seats during the original release? I get kaybe the orchestra and house seats but why the balcony? At least half of it is open for tomorrow"

Ok maybe it's that instead...just unreleased tickets, but how does that work when looking at the chart? Just grayed out as if it were bought? 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 12:59pm

bowtie7 said: "Part of the situation may be thatFrozen in overexposed. The movie was a huge hit for Disney but they have franchisedit in just about every way. There are currently no less that 4 stage versions of Frozen--on Broadway, on one of the Disney Cruise ships, at Disney World in a short sing along version and at Disneyland/California Adventure with a fully staged version (which does have a giant ice staircase). It is just possible parents (and even some little girls) are ready to 'let it go""

That's an excellent point but I also think it was timing in a different sense. It was too long (not that they didn't need the development time but things move fast now) between the release of the movie and the premiere of the show to capitalize on that initial Frozen fervor. Similarly, I have no idea if people are still going to be into Avatar when James Cameron finally gets around to releasing the sequel. And yet, it was also not enough time between the release of the movie and the premiere of the stage show. I'm sure I'll get the Lion King/Beauty and the Beast argument where there were also a few years between the movie and the stage adaptation and things were fine. But I feel like things are different now where new IP has to strike while the iron is hot and older IP needs the benefit of a lot of nostalgia (Anastasia, Aladdin). Of course, it's very difficult to predict what people are going to feel nostalgic about when it comes to pre-existing properties. It's easy to diagnose failures or chart successes after the fact.

And yes, there's also word and mouth and the quality of the show.

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 2:27pm

HGorn said: "Wow what happened to this show?? Has demand already died?https://www1.ticketmaster.com/frozen-ny-new-york-new-york-05-02-2018/event/300052FCE36C1CAA?"

Weird, a show pitched at a young audience can't sell as many tickets on a weekday night while school is still in?! Who'd've thought?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 2:28pm

Last night I happened to watch some random documentary on the Masters of the Universe film, and part of why it flopped was because it came out just too late. This is reminding me of that.

[evic]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 2:54pm

I haven't seen it nor have any desire to, but those I know who have said it is truly horrendous.  They had to be idiots to hire the team who gave us that truly awful revival of Evita. Plus the one song that it is famous for is annoying now. I give it 18 months or less.  So far it has been given the finger by the awards- will the Tonys give it one too or is Disney too powerful and will they throw it a bone for best musical nomination?

[haterobics]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 3:37pm

evic said: "I give it 18 months or less."

That's a long run given everything else you said.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 4:02pm

LizzieCurry said: "Last night I happened to watch some random documentary on the Masters of the Universe film, and part of why it flopped was because it came out just too late. This is reminding me of that."

Maybe. But it was also an awful movie.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 4:39pm

I just think Disney played it too safe with this one. I still left the theatre smiling, but it was ONLY because of Patti and Caissie. The loved the first 15 and last 15 minutes immensely. The rest I could have done without. I think the whole show needed more of the creativity of Colder by The Minute. I was also at the performance where the dress change didn't happen during Let It Go and for me it fell flat. Yes Caissie sang the **** out of it, but they've built that whole number around the dress change. Instead of Elsa truly letting it go and building an ice castle we got Elsa changing into a vegas dress with flashy lights and a sparkle curtain. I WISH we could have seen what Alex Timbers would have done with this. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 5:11pm

Thinking over Lion King and Beauty & the Beast, I remembered that Frozen is also not based on a pre-existing property in the same way (TLK is Hamlet, B&TB is not that different from the source material) and the movie had a troubled development period. So even if there was a similar timeline adapting it to the stage, they were starting with weaker material and trying to make it make sense while staying true to the film.

[GoblinKing2]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 5:20pm

I came in with very modest expectations and was still disappointed because it was just a chore to sit through.  Briefly, since so much has already been written on it, my issues were:

The chants to bring in the forest people took me out of the world of Frozen right away and made me think "Lion King."

The story's pace seems to be - blah, blah, blah...SONG FROM MOVIE...blah blah blah...SONG FROM MOVIE, without the story naturally leading into the songs.

Elsa simply isn't much of a character.  Her big song has magnified the perception of her importance.  The story is really about Anna and her journey and what she is willing to sacrifice because of her love for her sister.  Elsa is just a subplot of that larger story, and whether it's Alyssa or Caissie, or would have been someone else, there just isn't a character to play.  And maybe this isn't a popular opinion in light of Murin-gate, but the show suffers when Patti is not on stage.  Little Anna is just terrific.

The sauna scene - WTF?

 

It made me wonder if the dispatch of the prior director was a case of him saying "this story simply doesn't work for the stage in its present form," and the powers that be saying "regardless, that's the story you're going to tell."  In that case it's easy to see why the change was made.   

 

Updated On: 4/30/18 at 05:20 PM

[CallMeAl2]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 6:15pm

Kad said: "Disney productions need to answer the question, "why should I spend $$$ on this when I can watch the movie at home?."

And why should I pay Broadway bucks to see the same story when Harry Potter is giving me a brand new story with added adult meaning and themes?

Look, Frozen is a fine show. It delivers for its intended audience. But it's still in a weird place. It undoubtedly recouped before it opened with that huge advance. A good chunk of those tickets are held by resellers who were hoping to turn a profit - which doesn't look like it's going to happen. Likewise, Disney held on to blocks of tickets to release at premium prices, which will probably sell for much less. 

But the houses will be full, because Disney adjusts prices daily - those seats won't go begging as long as someone will pay something for them. At the same time resellers will take a bath competing with official tickets that drop in price. 

But for Disney, it's all gravy. They've recouped. And their software will squeeze every possible dollar out of the box office. And they are in the not terrible position that if you can't get a ticket to take your kids to see Potter, Frozen is a good backup choice. (And Harry Potter tickets will remain scarce.) Being the second choice with seats available, but no pressure to close, should give Frozen several years at least, in my opinion.