When indie film distributor Black Bear released the first trailer for Wicker, it hit social media timelines with a bang. Based on the short story The Wicker Husband by Ursula Wills-Jones, the film follows a small village fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) who convinces a local basket weaver (Peter Dinklage) to build her a husband out of wicker (Alexander Skarsgård). Fans, naturally, went a bit feral over the scenes of Colman and a basket-ified Skarsgård consummating their marriage so rapturously they break the bed. Eventually, a common joke emerged: “Will this be available in 4DX?”
Sometimes, for the pure of heart, prayers are answered. On Oct. 28, Black Bear put Wicker in 4DX for a one-night-only event, allowing audiences to experience the low-fantasy romance complete with water, wind, snow, and all the thrusting their hearts desired. But while the idea initially stemmed from a joke, the demand was real. Tickets sold so fast that theaters extended showings until Nov. 5. And the romance fans who threw their cards down first tell Rolling Stone that what they thought might be an absurd night out turned into a raucous, communal experience — one they say highlights what audiences might want more of out of romance movies.
If you ask New York City resident Robert Belpasso, 32, he probably should’ve realized how serious people were about seeing the film in 4DX when he tried to buy tickets. Showings would populate and then sell out as he was trying to click purchase. “Initially, it was impossible to get tickets,” he says. “It was like fighting like a Ticketmaster war.”
Another New Yorker, Leen Dweik, and her friends didn’t even blink when it looked like the only available seats were at a theater in suburban New Rochelle — a 30- to 45-minute trip outside of the city. Luckily, seats opened up at a Regal in Times Square, but it really didn’t matter. They had no plans to miss it.
“I’ve never seen anything in 4DX before — I’m not necessarily interested in having things sprayed at me,” Dweik, 29, says. “But it did feel like if there was ever a film to try it for, I wanted to try it for this one. It was so clear that everybody who was there really wanted to be there. Some people even made merch.”
Tia Burkett, 33, gathered a group of friends in Kansas to see Wicker in 4DX after watching the trailer online. But she was surprised by how earnest the story was — and how aggressively her seat moved during certain scenes. “There was one point where I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m about to fall.’ That first sex scene truly felt like we were on a roller coaster and none of us were expecting it. I’ve never laughed that hard in my life,” she says. “The whole ‘getting wicked down’ thing was just something I wanted to be a part of.”
There’s an obvious titilatting element to the film that’s drawing an audience in via social media — the film’s marketing has drilled down on the idea that this movie is about a woman fucking her wicker husband. The film delights in its arborial sound effects, twigs cracking and limbs growing alongside other wood-like appendages. Who wouldn’t be interested to learn more?
Karen Turner, 36, already says she’ll see anything Olivia Colman is in. But the technical elements of the story did convince her to buy a 4DX ticket to Regal’s L.A. Live theater. “It’s utterly ridiculous,” she says. “How are you supposed to have sex with a wicker dick? That doesn’t make sense anatomically. So I had questions going in. I wanted to see.”
She’s not the only one who felt compelled to investigate. “The funniest thing that I saw the entire time was everybody trying to figure out if there was going to be ‘full wick’ or not,” says Molly S., 32, who saw the film with Belpasso. “It started hitting the rumor mills that the European version isn’t censored, but the U.S. version is. Everyone went in [to] do boots-on-the-ground journalism. That was just hysterical.”
“And there was full-frontal wick,” Belpasso confirms.
“Very tiny — from far away,” Molly clarifies. “Well,” Belpasso adds. “Quite large.”
Post Covid-19 pandemic, audiences have returned to cinemas across the country, including a dedicated surge in 4DX interest. Still, the format typically only offers action films, banking on fans wanting to experience the swerves and jumps from battles, high-impact car chases, or daring stunts. Wicker’s earnings at the box office so far aren’t huge — the film has currently grossed $13 million globally on an initial $10 million production budget — which makes it a moderate success for its independent status. But the cult status of the film online, which has only grown since its 4DX foray, indicates there might be an audience demand that theaters — and filmmakers — have underestimated.
Gracie D. has believed for years that traditional Hollywood romance releases have had a chemistry problem that could be solved with some creative shakeups. The 26-year-old considers herself “very invested” in romances like Wicker that center sentient objects. “I’ve been reading the genre for years. It’s not new. There are books about sentient doors and lamps. I read one about a polyamorous romance between a woman and a pair of Crocs,” she says. “The big appeal for Wicker is that it’s silly and it doesn’t take itself 100 percent seriously.”
With romantasy — books that combine romance and fantasy elements like magic — is a top-selling book genre, it’s not surprising that fandom translated to box office results for Wicker. But while the film’s 4DX demand is proof that sex still sells, the movie’s deeper strength lies in its use of Skarsgård and Colman’s sex life to slyly critique the town’s assumptions about female desire and agency — something many of the moviegoers who spoke to Rolling Stone said they appreciated above all else.
“In romance films recently, Hollywood [is] throwing two hot people at the screen and expecting you to believe it when they take their clothes off,” Gracie says. “Wicker is presenting itself initially as something horny and weird, but what makes it so enjoyable and popular is that it also has these themes of women wanting to be respected in their partnerships.”
“I think that there’s something really profound in the explorations of romance between woman and other,” Dweik adds. “And from the get-go, Wicker was committing to the concept of being freaky and horny. People just want more freak shit.”
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
