Wicked (2024 film)

Wicked
The poster mimics Michaelangelo's The Creation of Adam and is pink on the left and green on the right. Glinda is in the bottom left in a pink dress, reaching up to Elphaba, who's in the top right in a black dress, witch's hat and on a broomstick, reaching down to Galinda. In the middle, both hands are outstretched but not touching, and the film's tagline is written in white text on separate lines: "Everyone deserves a chance to fly". The landscape of the Land of Oz is in the background.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJon M. Chu
Screenplay by
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAlice Brooks
Edited byMyron Kerstein
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures[b]
Release dates
  • November 3, 2024 (2024-11-03) (State Theatre)
  • November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22) (United States)
Running time
160 minutes[5]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$150 million[6]
Box office$46.74 million[3]

Wicked, titled onscreen as Wicked: Part I, is a 2024 American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu, and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. It is the first of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, loosely based on the 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire.[1]

Set in the Land of Oz, largely before Dorothy Gale's arrival from Kansas, the film covers the musical's first act. It follows the story of Elphaba Thropp beginning her path to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, and her unlikely friendship with her classmate Galinda Upland, who becomes Glinda the Good. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (credited as Ariana Grande-Butera)[2] as Elphaba and Galinda, respectively. Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum feature in supporting roles.[7]

Universal Pictures and Marc Platt, who both produced the stage musical, announced the film adaptation in 2012. After a long development and multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu was hired to direct, with Erivo and Grande cast in 2021. The film was split in two to avoid cutting plot points and to expand the journeys and relationships between the characters. Principal photography on both films began in December 2022 in England, but was disrupted in July 2023 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and concluded in January 2024.

Wicked premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on November 3, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on November 22. It received praise for its visuals, performances, Chu's direction, production value, and faithfulness to the source material, although its runtime was criticized. The sequel, Wicked Part Two is scheduled for release on November 21, 2025.

  1. ^ a b "Wicked". directories.wga.org. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Jackson, Angelique (November 4, 2024). "Ariana Grande Is Credited in 'Wicked' as 'Ariana Grande-Butera' Because 'That Was My Name When I Went to See the Show' at 10 Years Old". Variety. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Wicked (2024) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Universal Pictures/Logo Variations". Audiovisual Idendity Database. November 23, 2024.
  5. ^ "Wicked (PG)". BBFC. November 4, 2024. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Rebecca Rubin. "Box Office: 'Wicked' Heads for Dazzling $100 Million Debut, 'Gladiator II' Aims for Muscular $65 Million". Variety. Archived from the original on November 20, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "WICKED | Universal Pictures Publicity Official Digital Assets | Media Manager".


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