4 Ingredients for a wicked movie promo

Press tours are the new pop culture spectacles.

Yes, I’m talking about Wicked. Just like everybody else on the internet.

For months now, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have been orchestrating a symphony of tears, themed outfits, and TikTok fodder—all under the guise of promoting the highly anticipated film.

Wicked's press tour is already a blockbuster, and the hype train is in overdrive.

This has become a common phenomenon: films are promoted with elaborate, high-stakes performances where outfits, soundbites, and even off-screen drama get as much—if not more—attention than the actual film.

And while it's marketing gold, it’s also a fascinating reflection of our culture’s obsession with spectacle and narrative.

Today, promoting a movie means turning the promo campaign into its own standalone event, and it’s not just Wicked.

Think Margot Robbie’s Barbie-core wardrobe. Think Don’t Worry Darling’s on-set chaos and Florence Pugh’s refusal to play along. Think the It Ends With Us drama or Anyone But You’s rumour-fuelled frenzy.

At this point, the press tour is the product.

And it’s got us eating out of the palm of its perfectly manicured hand.

So, what makes a press tour break the internet harder than Kim K and a bottle of champagne?

It’s a delicate cocktail of aesthetics, drama, and social media strategy, shaken (not stirred) for maximum engagement.

1. One recurring thing is themed wardrobes.

Margot Robbie single-handedly turned the Barbie press tour into a high-fashion Easter egg hunt, collaborating with designers who leaned into Barbie-core with wild enthusiasm. It was campy, deliberate, and utterly irresistible.

She became the internet's literal doll, fuelling the hype up to the movie at epic proportions.

2. The next unskippable ingredient: rumours.

The Don’t Worry Darling press tour is the gold standard for how off-screen drama can eclipse a film itself.

The movie may have struggled to make a lasting impression. But the whirlwind of rumours surrounding its production—Spitgate, alleged on-set feuds, Florence Pugh’s icy detachment during promo—dominated headlines and social media for months.

The result? A masterclass in how controversy can fuel curiosity, turning even lukewarm projects into cultural talking points. It’s proof that in the era of clickbait and speculation, drama often sells better than the product itself.

3. Half a cup of snackable moments.

In the age of TikTok and virality, a single clip can drive more attention than an entire trailer.

Think Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet’s electric banter during press junkets or Chris Pine’s meme-worthy Zen state as Harry Styles delivered an eyebrow-raising soundbite about 'the feeling of a movie.'

These bite-sized, endlessly shareable moments are algorithm candy. They're perfectly designed to stoke excitement and keep a film in the public eye—whether audiences are tuning in for the movie or the memes.

4. Top it off with some juicy discourse.

The Wicked press tour has been a case study in leveraging—and surviving—public fascination.

From whispers about Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s off-screen dynamics to (admittedly troubling) discussions around body image, the narrative surrounding the film has been anything but quiet.

While the messiness of such discourse can veer into problematic territory, it undeniably keeps the movie at the forefront of cultural conversations. In the world of press tours, controversy doesn’t just sell—it dominates.

Sometimes a little too hard, leading to the tour overshadowing the actual film.

This is what I mean when I say the hype machine goes into overdrive - the film is often left playing catch-up.

Case in point: Don’t Worry Darling.

The press tour had it all—feuds, fashion, viral awkwardness—but when the dust settled, audiences realized the movie wasn’t worth the ticket price.

The danger? When the press tour promises a cultural moment, it raises the stakes for the film. If the movie fails to deliver, it leaves audiences feeling duped.

This phenomenon has changed movie promo forever.

Gone are the days of simple junket interviews and red-carpet photo ops. Today, press tours are multi-platform marketing extravaganzas designed to entertain.

The TikTokification of PR has a lot to do with this. Snippets and soundbites reign supreme. If it’s not making the rounds on TikTok, did it even happen?

Press tours serve a purpose in giving the fans just the right amount of star action.

Fans want their stars to be relatable but not too relatable, polished yet not robotic. Press tours walk this impossible tightrope, balancing 'authenticity' with meticulous calculation.

They’re also a place where fashion can become narrative, and themed wardrobes are a medium for visual storytelling.

So, what’s a brand to do with all this?

Give them layers to unpack: Whether it’s outfits, Easter eggs, or unspoken tension, leave your audience with something to dissect.

Play the platform: Create moments that feel custom-built for TikTok and Instagram. Think snackable, shareable, shippable.

Keep it authentic (even when it’s not): Fans can smell a PR stunt a mile away, but they love to pretend it’s real. Your job? Blur the line just enough.

Know when to say when: Don’t let the hype overshadow the product. Your efforts should enhance, not eclipse.

The Wicked press tour has been an emotional rollercoaster, a catwalk, and a cultural conversation-starter—all before the movie even hit theatres.

It’s a perfect case study in how press tours have become their own phenomenon, feeding our parasocial obsessions and keeping the content machine churning.

But as we revel in the spectacle, it’s worth asking: when the press tour is the star of the show, what happens when the curtain falls?

-Sophie, Writer