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 Glinda. 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
Release dates
  • November 3, 2024 (2024-11-03) (State Theatre)
  • November 22, 2024 (2024-11-22) (United States)
Running time
160 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$150 million[4]
Box office$164.2 million[2][5]

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; which in turn is based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and its 1939 film adaptation.[1] The film covers the musical's first act and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande-Butera[b] as Galinda Upland. Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum feature in supporting roles.[7] Set in the Land of Oz, largely before Dorothy Gale's arrival from Kansas, it follows the story of Elphaba beginning her path to becoming the Wicked Witch of the West, and her unlikely friendship with her classmate Galinda, who becomes Glinda the Good.

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 performances (particularly for Erivo, Grande, and Bailey), direction, humor, musical sequences and faithfulness to the source material, although its runtime and cinematography were met with criticism. It has grossed $164.2 million in its opening weekend against a $150 million budget.[8] Wicked Part Two will be released 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 c "Wicked (2024) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Wicked (PG)". BBFC. November 4, 2024. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1199474177/
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference agb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "WICKED | Universal Pictures Publicity Official Digital Assets | Media Manager".
  8. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (November 24, 2024). "'Wicked' Casts $164M+ Spell In Global Opening; 'Gladiator II' Thunders To $221M WW After 2nd Offshore Frame – International Box Office". Deadline. Retrieved November 24, 2024.


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