The rise of the musical: How and why musicals are taking over cinema’s most prestigious award ceremony

As a self-proclaimed theatre-kid, I for one am thrilled to announce that musicals have officially returned to our screens, and let’s hope they are here ‘for good’!

Musical crime comedy Emilia Pérez leads the charge, receiving 13 nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress

It seems that we are entering an age of smash-hit movie musicals, causing a well-needed resurgence in theatregoers, as well as a new-found love for veterans of the stage. This almighty comeback is not without recognition, with the 97^th annual Oscar nominations marking the first time in 60 years that two musicals have received 10 or more nominations.

Musical crime comedy Emilia Pérez leads the charge, receiving 13 nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress. Following closely behind is the stage-to-screen adaptation of Wicked with a total of 10 nominations, up for awards such as Best Original Score and Best Costume Design. It may come as a surprise to some that movie musicals have attracted mainstream appeal, yet it is not the first time the Oscars have deemed musicals as worthy of their approval.

1964 saw Julie Andrews make her film debut as the title role in Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins, receiving 13 nominations and winning five awards. Andrews’ winning streak continued in 1965, starring in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, receiving 10 nominations and taking home five awards.

Erivo is currently only one letter short of being crowned one of the youngest EGOT winners ever

So, should it really come as such a surprise that musicals have once again attracted the attention of the oh so grand Academy? As well as the rise of the musical, it is apparent that another genre has received a lot of press, although perhaps not the good kind: the biopic. Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man too seems to have adopted the musical genre, directed by Michael Gracey, his most notable work being The Greatest Showman, yet another biographical musical film. Better Man contains a flash-mob-esque dance scene to ‘Rock DJ’, filmed in the West End’s very own Regent Street. In the film, Williams is depicted as a CGI monkey, belting hits from his own and Take That’s discography. However, unlike Wicked and Emilia Pérez, Better Man was a box-office bomb and received only one nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Yet, the success of these musicals are no mean feat. There seems to be a trend amongst the casting, with principal roles going to stars of the stage as well as the screen, having done their time on Broadway and West End stages, earning their place working alongside cinema’s greatest directors.

Cynthia Erivo put in the work to secure her Broadway debut as the role of Celie in The Color Purple in 2015, providing her with the foundational skills to become one of the most powerful voices in the musical theatre industry today. Erivo is currently only one letter short of being crowned one of the youngest EGOT winners ever, here’s to hoping that 2025 is her year.

It seems that Wicked certainly has the potential to become one of this year’s most highly decorated films

Despite the apparent apprehension and doubt of the loyal Wicked fanbase regarding Ariana Grande’s ability to pay homage to the iconic role of Glinda, she, as well as Erivo, has been recognised by the Academy, being nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Grande abandoned her well-crafted pop star persona in an effort to score the job, fully giving herself over to the role, even dying her hair blonde. It seems that Wicked certainly has the potential to become one of this year’s most highly decorated films, thanks to the commitment and care of the cast and crew in curating a faithful yet unique adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel.

Thus, the theatre world’s influence on the biggest award ceremony of the year is undeniable. With widespread acknowledgment from prestigious award ceremonies along with significant popularity amongst audiences, could 2025 be the year we see movie musicals finally have their moment under the spotlight?