"WICKED" brings big business to rural Oklahoma ; Kansas

December 17, 2024

When Universal released the musical film “Wicked” just before Thanksgiving, no one could have anticipated just how big the film would be.

It only seemed natural, given that the original 1939 film is often hailed as one of the most influential films of all time which of course immortalized the State of Kansas with young Judy Garland’s Dorothy Gale’s iconic line: “I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…”

Of course while the Land of Oz from L. Frank Baum’s original works is indeed far from the Midwest, the region has welcomed Dorothy, Toto, the Wicked Witch, and the rest of the gang with open arms.

The film “Wicked” is based on the blockbuster Broadway musical and novel and tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz” and paints Elphaba in a sympathetic light, exploring her friendship with Glinda the Good Witch and her tumultuous conflict with The Wizard of Oz himself which will turn her into Oz’s greatest villain.

The film has grossed $300 million dollars stateside, and has also helped bring record numbers into rural establishments including The Poncan Theater as well as the Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas.

The Poncan Theatre, Ponca City’s historic movie theater, held screenings for Wicked through early December and stated it was one of their biggest theatrical rollouts.

“[Opening weekend] was an incredible success for the Poncan Theatre as we welcomed 682 moviegoers to experience Wicked on the big screen,” said Poncan Theatre Board President Luke Garrison.

“It’s always exciting to see our community come together to enjoy a cinematic event like this, and we’re thrilled to continue providing these opportunities in Ponca City’s historic cultural hub. We’re grateful for the community’s support and look forward to more weekends like this.”

“Wicked” was yet another major win for The Poncan which, after extensive updates to their theater, began showing first-run films following the premiere of “Killers of the Flower Moon”.

To date, they have screened “Deadpool & Wolverine”, “Twisters”, “Venom : The Last Dance”, Inside Out 2”, “The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” and others.

For those fancying a little trip north, the non-profit Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas just outside of Topeka said that the success of “Wicked” is just another example of why the Wizard of Oz franchise has been so enduring, and what means for business.

Katlyn Britton, Operations Coordinator for the Oz Museum, explained that the museum started as a single exhibit at Wamego’s Columbian Theatre (think their version of The Poncan) before evolving into a fully-fledged museum in 2003.

“The first exhibit brought over 12,000 people internationally into our small-town community in the first season,” said Britton.

“From there, the project began to purchase and remodel a neighboring building and open what is now the OZ Museum. The funds came from a State of Kansas Grant and community support!”

The first year the museum was opened, Wamego saw its first Oztoberfest, a community-wide event which is held annually the first week of October.

“We have hosted the Munchkin Actors, and notable OZ guests through the years. Recently we have been unveiling an original OZ Artifact during the Festival each year,” said Britton.

Artifacts at the Oz Museum include half of the world’s supply of the screen-used flying monkeys from the original 1939 film, Munchkin costumes, original pieces from the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production, items from the Broadway “Wicked” production, items from the 1978 modernization “The Wiz” as well as from the 2005 “Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” and the 1985 dark fantasy “Return to Oz”.

The museum attracts visitors from over 40 countries a year from Australia, Europe, Africa, Russia, and more which Britton playfully mentioned as an “Oz-some” turnout.

The Oz Museum employs roughly 10-15 people throughout the year and is open 7 days a week, only closed on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.

“Our team is dependent on the gracious volunteers that keep us going year-round,” Britton exclaimed.

“We also have original production notes, drawings, items the Actors owned personally, and Props used in the film,” explained Britton.

“We even feature original inspirations for the novel published in 1900! With over 2,000 artifacts on display and an exponential amount of other items behind the scenes, it is hard to miss all of our originals.”

Britton said that while the museum is dedicated to the original book and film production, The “Wicked” franchise has been great for the museum since the Broadway production began in 2003.

“We have an exhibit dedicated to each of the mainstream productions, which attracts fans of each production,” Britton explained.

“We have people come in hoping that their favorite film or production is featured and so we have been sure to highlight them in our museum. We have seen increased traffic and interest from the new film WICKED, and hope to get some of their original props too.”

The most recent “Oz” based film, Disney’s 2013 movie “Oz: The Great and Powerful”, brought a 12% increase in traffic to the museum.

Britton attributes the franchise’s lasting legacy to Oz’s timelessness and importance.

“The original story is truly an American Classic,” She said.

“It was America's first original fairy tale, and the original film was one of the first to adopt the newest Technicolor technology.”

It was this adoption of Technicolor that caused Dorothy’s silver slippers in the book to be turned to ruby red for the film, for example.

A fact that perplexed some audience members in “Wicked” when Elphaba’s sister Nessa (The Wicked Witch of the East) has silver slippers rather than the red ones Dorothy loots from her at the start of the 1939 picture.

“The Wizard of Oz has captured the audience with awe. The Wizard of OZ story is timeless and captures amazing themes that are relevant today, the story itself is identifiable by almost every personality type,” Britton continued.

“This film also caused families to gather together every year to watch it, so many people have fond familial memories when they think of the Wizard of Oz. With so many of our shows and movies today impacted by famous lines in the film, Wizard of OZ references have even been intricately woven into everyday conversation.”

While the museum doesn’t have a display specifically devoted to Universal’s new film, they have several items from the Broadway production. Britton hopes to acquire pieces from the 2024 film to be featured in the future.

With a franchise over 100 years old, Britton said the key to keeping things fresh is acquiring new original pieces at auction using donations given to the museum.

“We have also added interactive elements and immersive displays. Coming soon, we are modernizing our Gift Shop and public areas to help our guests further immerse in the OZ world while visiting!”