The iconic Broadway musical, Wicked has finally been adapted into the big screen, which has been nothing but a huge success. Featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman, the movie adaptation brings the magic of Oz to the screen in a new and thrilling way.
The movie is a production of the first part of the stage play. Elphaba Thropp is played by Cynthia Erivo, and Galinda Upland is played by Ariana Grande. They are joined by a gifted cast of actors that comprise Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum.
Universal Pictures and producer Marc Platt, who were both involved in the stage musical, announced the film adaptation back in 2012. But it took quite a while to make the movie, with many delays, including those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Director Jon M. Chu was finally brought on board, and in 2021, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were signed for the main parts.
Filming started in England in December 2022 but was briefly suspended in July 2023 because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming resumed and concluded in January 2024.
The play/film consists Elphaba, a girl with green skin, who goes to Shiz University to stay near her little sister, Nessarose. Elphaba meets a girl named Galinda, and they have a rich but complicated relationship. The more Elphaba discovers about the corruption in Oz, the more she realizes that the rulers, like the Wizard, are not as good as they claim. When she doesn’t follow the rules, she turns into the “Wicked Witch.” The movie ends sadly as Elphaba and Glinda part ways, preparing for what the second part of what fans of The Wizard of Oz know.
Wicked was universally acclaimed and was chosen as one of the greatest films of 2024 by the American Film Institute. It took home Best Picture at the National Board of Review and earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Erivo, and Best Supporting Actress for Grande. It earned BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations as well, taking home Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the Golden Globes.
Wicked cost $150 million to make and has fared well at the box office, earning a phenomenal $719 million globally. It now stands as the top-grossing The Wizard of Oz based movie and the fourth highest grossing musical movie adaptation of all time.
Wicked is not just a show with great effects and songs, it also had a significant influence on culture. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the originals for Elphaba and Glinda in the Broadway original production, enjoyed how Erivo and Grande performed. Critics and audiences alike found the film to be more than just entertaining as they described it as having valuable messages about accepting others, friendship, and fighting against injustice.
Elle UK’s, Panashe Nyadundu, called the movie a “much-needed escape” after the divided 2024 U.S. presidential election.
The movie’s LGBTQ+ representation, disability awareness, animal rights, and women’s empowerment themes strongly appealed to viewers.
Lastly, Wicked is not simply just a fairy tale, it is a story about finding your way in a world that you feel as if you don’t fit in, but still holding onto hope and compassion. Even after the years of this musical being performed, the magic of Oz is still strong.
By: Yarely Escobar- Pinedo, Editor-In-Chief