LAS VEGAS (AP) — When Ariana Grande,Cynthia Erivo and director Jon M. Chu took the stage in Las Vegas last April to tease “Wicked” months before its theatrical release, there was cautious optimism that the long-anticipated film would be a hit.
But when the pair hit the same stage at the annual CinemaCon convention Wednesday to promote “Wicked: For Good,” it felt like a kind of victory lap following the first movie’s critical acclaim and box office success.
“This is the third year that ‘Wicked’ has closed Universal’s CinemaCon presentation,” Chu said. “Thank God it worked out.”
“Wicked: For Good” hits theaters in November, completing the adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical inspired by “The Wizard of Oz.” It stars Erivo as the green-skinned Elphaba Thropp, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, and Grande as Glinda.
“We already have our tissues packed,” Grande teased, referring to the pair’s sentimental, viral press tour that often resulted in one or both of its stars in tears.
“I promise less waterworks this time,” Erivo added, before they debuted a short montage of footage from the film.
The “Wicked” crew closed out an impressive — and aptly theatrical — presentation of the upcoming slate from Universal Pictures.
Hollywood’s Oscar season brings an annual chance for actors and filmmakers to swap kudos for their artistry. After it comes the CinemaCon convention and trade show, where studios and movie theaters take their turns giving pep talks and pats on the back.
Universal demonstrated that any pep talk is made better with music — particularly anthemic or nostalgic songs from films old and new, like “Psycho,” “Jurassic Park” and, of course, “Wicked.” The studio took advantage of these and other familiar themes with a live orchestra as it made its pitch about their docket of films on the main stage at Caesars Palace.
They pulled out the stops for “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” one of Universal’s other biggest films of the year, hitting theaters in July. Stars Mahershala Ali and Scarlett Johansson, along with director Gareth Edwards, walked out as the orchestra played its iconic theme.
“It has been a lifelong dream to be in a ‘Jurassic’ movie. For the last 15 years, each time I heard that they were making a movie, I reached out and would say, ‘I’m available,’” Johansson said.
The presentation followed a preview screening of “How to Train Your Dragon,” a live-action adaptation of the animated franchise, earlier in the day. The film, which stars Gerard Butler and Mason Thames, will be released in June.
The live orchestra was helmed by Emmy-winning composer Rickey Minor, the former bandleader on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
But the stunts didn’t stop at live music. When teasing his myriad horror films on the horizon, producer Jason Blum walked out dressed as antagonist Freddy Fazbear to tease “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” which will be released theatrically in December.
To top off the Blumhouse Productions slate, 30 actors dressed as M3GAN — the artificially intelligent and sometimes hyper-violent subject of the film of the same name — danced to a rendition of “Oops!… I Did It Again.” “M3GAN 2.0” hits theaters in June.
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press
