‘Wicked’ Movie Gets Extended Preview At NBCUniversal Upfront In A Novel Promo Move

Dade Hayes and Peter White
·2 min read
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In an unusual move, NBCUniversal used its upfront presentation to ad buyers in New York on Monday to debut a four-minute extended first look at its forthcoming film version of Wicked.

The preview of Universal’s Thanksgiving release, which will go online later this week, elicited a warm response from the audience at Radio City Music Hall. It showed off the extensive visual effects of director Jon Chu’s adaptation of the Wizard of Oz story, including the newly conceived version of Oz, as well as the emotional interplay between the witches portrayed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Production began on the film at the end of 2022 but was paused last year due to the actors strike. It is set for release on November 27.

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Last month, Universal heavily promoted the adaptation of the Broadway musical during CinemaCon, including the release of footage and appearances by cast members. That audience was theater owners and film fans, a segment that is distinct from Monday’s Madison Avenue crowd. The trailer played at the upfront was longer and included additional scenes.

Donna Langley, Chairman, NBCUniversal Studio Group and Chief Content Officer, introduced the footage during her first appearance at the Upfronts since taking on an expanded role that now covers television. She urged attendees to show “respect” for the filmmaking team and refrain from recording, with security at the event hall going row by row and asking laptops and devices to be stowed.

Instead of the customary series fare, Langley centered her remarks on a feature film, a logical strategic move given Peacock’s positioning of Universal films in the pay-1 release window. The service, which She said her job was “identifying strategies across the entire company on every platform”. She added that she wanted to produce projects that have a “massive cultural impact” and “take big swings”.

Peacock, which has 34 million subscribers, has increasingly highlighted movies, with the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer driving significant viewing in its debut on the service earlier this year. Day-and-date releases like Five Nights at Freddy’s have also helped lure subscribers, execs have said.

NBCU Media Group Chairman Mark Lazarus noted the film strategy in his opening remarks at the upfront. “We have a windowing strategies where you can not only invest in movies but in current box office hits,” he said.

While NBCU broke ground with the film reveal, it is likely to be far from the only upfront presenter to showcase its movie capabilities. Especially with Amazon and Netflix now in the mix, film will be looking to elbow its way into the TV conversation. Warner Bros. Discovery ad sales chief Jon Steinlauf told Deadline in a recent interview that the company will be emphasizing the value of movies as part of its “IP upfront.”

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