 Critics panned The Wiz upon its October 1978 release . Many reviewers directed their criticism at Diana Ross , who they believed was far too old to play Dorothy . Most agreed that what had worked so successfully on stage simply did not translate well to the screen . Hischak 's Through the Screen Door : What Happened to the Broadway Musical When It Went to Hollywood criticized " Joel Schumacher 's cockamamy screenplay " , and called " Believe in Yourself " the score 's weakest song . He described Diana Ross 's portrayal of Dorothy as : " cold , neurotic and oddly unattractive " ; and noted that the film was " a critical and box office bust " . In his work History of the American Cinema , Harpole characterized the film as " one of the decade 's biggest failures " , and , " the year 's biggest musical flop " . The Grove Book of Hollywood noted that " the picture finished off Diana Ross 's screen career " , as the film was Ross 's final theatrical feature . In his book Blockbuster , Tom Shone referred to The Wiz as " expensive crud " . In the book Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood , the author criticized the script , noting , " The Wiz was too scary for children , and too silly for adults . " Ray Bolger , who played the Scarecrow in the 1939 The Wizard of Oz film , did not think highly of The Wiz , stating " The Wiz is overblown and will never have the universal appeal that the classic MGM musical has obtained . " 
