Over the past few years, the public has stopped treating movie press tours like marketing fluff and started treating them like reality shows. Those often tediously extended talk-show appearances, red carpets and press junkets that have been part of the Hollywood grind for decades are suddenly garnering as much attention on social media as movies, with star interactions picked apart by fans. .
Social media frenzy surrounding the 2022 film Don’t worry darlingPress tours have become sites of intense speculation that often translates into full-blown scandals. Anyone but you Fans per the constant rumors of Justin Baldoni vs. everyone on its set It ends with us.
It’s no surprise that this trend has hit the most anticipated (or inevitable) movies of the year, evil. However, it has come out in a more uncomfortable way than the rumors about Harry Styles spitting. Its two stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, have been the subject of extensive online theories and scrutiny about their red carpet appearances, adding an edgy element to an otherwise wholesome movie rollout.
All this press tour nonsense speaks to the free nature of the internet, especially in the TikTok era. At its worst, this insatiable desire for debate can override ethical or productive conversation. Inevitably, these narratives are seen as absolute truth.
evilIts press tour has caught the attention of the internet, for better or for worse
campaign for evil When Erivo and Grande return in March Presented at the Academy Awards Wearing green and pink gowns together represent their respective roles as Elphaba and Glinda. Since then, themed dressing, For a la Margot Robbie barbie, The press tour has been a notable feature. The two were also keen to highlight their close friendship, one of the main themes of the musical. They often hold hands while praising each other’s talents on red carpets and in interviews. A The now viral interview With reporter Jake Hamilton, they were asked how they were changed by each other, making Grande better. Both actresses tend to cry and get overly emotional when discussing witches and goats. a little joke The conversation around them on social media becomes much more serious.
Even apart from the press tour, Grande’s appearance was already being put under a microscope on social media. In April 2023, the singer posted a Videos on TikTok Redditors and other social media users later urged fans to stop speculating about her body weight Expressed concern about her thinness. Grande asked social media users to be “gentler and less comfortable” discussing the human body.
His response did little to quell that public chatter. Indeed, speculation surrounding a possible eating disorder has torpedoed a week-long debate between fans and detractors on social media for months. evilIts press tour begins. Claimed by social media users Erivo also looks remarkable Thin some have even complained of having a pair of costars Competitive to eat disease.
Meanwhile, others have expressed concern about the effects on Erivo and Grand being so hypervisible in their current state. Some have even suggested promoting both eating disorderIf not inadvertently trigger those who have. Others put the onus on their team not to intervene. In an op-ed for The Standard, India Block wrote that Conversations revolve around their looks More so “A Complaint of the Management of Grande and Erivo, The evil team, and the entertainment industry as a whole.”
Given the Olympic fad taking over Hollywood and the concerns it raises, the shock we get here isn’t fair. Still, it’s unclear how this public speculation will benefit anyone. Maybe Grande and Erivo’s well-being was never a topic of conversation.
How press tours have become bigger than movies
A press tour is considered to generate press attention, evilIt was a massive success, despite the controversies that dogged the film along the way. Compared to the laundry list of other movies of the past few years whose press tours have embraced the impact of the film, evilThe mess was positive.
While lecturing around barbie While the press tour, perhaps the most famous in recent history, seemed to focus solely on star Margot Robbie’s hyper-coordinated fashion moments and director Greta Gerwig’s tricks to bring Barbieland to life, other films had more juicy behind-the-scenes drama. While Glenn Powell and Sidney Sweeney were busy promoting anyone but you Their obvious chemistry does not go unnoticed. Both had partners on set, but Powell went it alone, after his girlfriend unfollowed Sweeney on Instagram and posted a cryptic breakup message (a source claims they never hooked up).
That, of course, is what press tours are designed to do: convince audiences that the heat among its leads isn’t just an act, it’s real — and if there’s a real-world reaction, welp, it’s showbiz, baby. (Who can forget Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper Year round love festival to promote A Star Is Born?) There are cases where the set-up chemistry is actually real — whenever Zendaya and Tom Holland get to do a promo. Spider-Man Movies together, the internet collectively scream — and in some cases it’s so real that people’s lives fall apart (like when Kristen Stewart, then dating Robert Pattinson, had an affair with Rupert Sanders, the married director of Snow White and the Huntsman)
But the most engaging version of press tour drama is when the cast absolutely hates each other. Thirsty fans were treated to an advance this fall It ends with us, where star Blake Lively clashed with director and co-star Justin Baldoni. While the details were murky and mostly seemed to center on the difference in creative vision between the two (not exactly soap opera material), it snowballed into all sorts of other discussions on the film’s controversial themes, which dealt with domestic issues. Baldoni’s previous life as a self-identified “male feminist” voice online, and Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, who tend to have strong opinions about people.
of 2022 Don’t worry darling There was both love and hate — rumors of an affair between director and star Olivia Wilde and her lead actor, pop megastar Harry Styles, and rumors of tension between Wilde and actress Florence Pugh, Pugh and onetime co-star Shia LaBeouf, and, potentially, Styles. and co-star Chris Pine, with whom she allegedly had an affair Spitting at the premiere. (Spitting was roundly denied.)
All these films have been major box office successes, raising questions about how much the off-screen drama has convinced people to buy tickets. This is not always the case; When Joaquin Phoenix caused controversy for his behavior at the 2008 press tour two lovers What he later described as “performance art”, this did not translate into huge sales.
Perhaps this is because the audience’s relationship with the press tour is very different than it was 16 years ago. Thanks to social media, people now have unprecedented access to the lives of celebrities and industry insiders where they absorb business jargon and speculate on their preferred career trajectories. Ordinary fans are now regulars Discuss whether a particular star Kudos to those who are sufficiently “media trained”, able to dodge uncomfortable questions and seem unstoppable. You’d think it’s counter-intuitive – people don’t want Will their celebrities be more unabashed and entertaining than “brand-safe”? Instead, they cheer Celebrity Performances Rather than the celebrity itself.
In other words, press tours are no longer for the press. These are for the general public, which, in turn, has become the press – or at least the critical press What was once a couple on the cover of a late-night talk show and a glossy magazine that now mandates appearances on a laundry list of shows, many of them online-only, means whipping up chicken wings. hot onesAmelia flirts with Diemoldenburg Chicken shop datesTaking the Vanity Fair lie detector test, or talking to GQ about your must-have products. Footage from these shows and red carpet interviews is then clipped and optimized to go viral on social media and become inescapable whether you’re interested in watching the film or not.
Since many press tours now take place online, it’s easier to think of what you’re seeing as an authentic portrayal of the actors’ lives. It seems less built (although of course celebrities continue to work there). It’s easy to believe that Grande and Erivo really do share the complicated best friendship of Glinda and Elphaba — even, perhaps, you are their friend. A dramatic or intense off-camera dynamic between a cast is just what might convince audiences to shell out for movie tickets, because it feels like the stakes are immediate. Wait too long to see it, and you may have missed the opportunity to attend your lecture while it’s still fresh.
in case wicked, It will be interesting to see how Part One compares to next year’s promotional tour. How many more times will we see Erivo and Grande cry in dramatic green and pink gowns about how much they love each other? How much more – and forgive evil Puns — can even get popular?
