On Nov. 22, 2024, “Wicked” premiered in theaters worldwide, drawing widespread attention as the long-anticipated film starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo was released. The musical, “Wicked,” in which the film copies, is inspired by the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz.” Similar to the Broadway hit, the movie is split up into two parts. The first movie focuses on the early lives of characters Elphaba (based on the “Wicked Witch of the West” character) and Glinda (based on the “Glinda the Good Witch” character) and how they became friends. The sequel “Wicked: For Good” follows the two main characters’ lives after the first movie as they go from inseparable friends to sworn enemies and total opposites.
The movies follow the same storyline as the two-part musical, which created an alternate narrative of “The Wizard of Oz.” Both the musical and recently-released movie focus on Elphaba as the protagonist, rather than a villain. The decision to split the film into two parts, each over two hours long, sparked debate among fans. Many fans were not in favor of these two parts, one of the main reasons for this being that both the prequel and sequel are long enough to be their own movie. According to an opinion piece written for 9Honey by Maddison Leach, “Having just seen ‘Wicked: For Good,’ I can confirm that much of the 2 hour, 17 minute film feels like a meeting that could have been an email. […] Above all, I wish that ‘Wicked’ hadn’t been split into two films like so many that came before I”
Despite the controversy, the movie is doing quite well with its total worldwide box office at about $393.3 million, as well as achieving a high audience score of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film had also received a multitude of praise and positive reviews from its audience. The popularity and demand for the movie is, without a doubt, showing clearly in its profits and reviews.
Along with its abundance of praise, high ratings and positive reviews, the movie has been nominated for 5 Golden Globe awards. These awards include Best Musical/Comedy Actress for Erivo, Best Supporting Actress for Grande, Best Cinematic Achievement and two nominations for Best Song.
However, there was one major award that the film missed out: a nomination for a Best Picture nomination. Still, the film continues to thrive as its profits and reviews skyrocket, just as the sequel was expected to do.
Without giving away any spoilers, I can say with confidence that despite the long wait for the sequel to complete the “Wicked” movie franchise, that the incredible acting, singing, visuals and storyline were so incredibly impressive, and definitely worth the year-long wait. I remember watching the first “Wicked” movie when it first came out, as the first movie kept me captivated for the entire 2 hours and 40 minutes of the film. The sequel was no different, as the film concluded my year-long anticipation to witness what happens next in the story of “Wicked” and how it ended.
Overall, I highly recommend purchasing a ticket and venturing out to your nearest movie theater to see it for yourself, as it is surely a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that I have had absolutely no regrets about sitting through 2 hours and 17 minutes of. While I did in fact experience the anticipation and impatience many other viewers expressed throughout the year-long wait, I thought the movie brought a great ending to a very beautiful story.
