Wicked (titled on-screen 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 adapts the first act of the 2003 stage musical by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which was loosely based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, a re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film adaptation. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as Elphaba Thropp and Glinda Upland, respectively; while Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum appear in supporting roles. Set in the Land of Oz before the events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film explores the early relationship between Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and her schoolmate 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, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chu was hired to direct, with Erivo and Grande cast in 2021. The adaptation was split into two parts to avoid omitting plot points and further develop the characters. Principal photography on both films began in England in December 2022, was interrupted in July 2023 by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and resumed and concluded in January 2024.
Wicked premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney on November 3, 2024, and was released in the United States on November 22. It was critically and commercially successful, grossing $764 million worldwide on a $150 million budget and becoming the highest-grossing Oz film, the highest-grossing musical film adaptation, and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2024. The film was declared a pop culture phenomenon and was listed as one of the best musical films of the 21st century. Among its various accolades, Wicked earned ten nominations at the 97th Academy Awards (including Best Picture), winning Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. It also received three awards from the National Board of Review (including Best Film) and was listed among the top ten films of 2024 by the American Film Institute. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, was released on November 21, 2025.
Plot
In the Land of Oz, Glinda the Good joins the citizens of Munchkinland as they celebrate the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. When asked why wickedness happens, Glinda explains that the Witch was the product of an affair between Governor Thropp's wife Melena and a mysterious traveling salesman. The salesman offered Melena a green elixir, causing the Witch to be born with green skin. Maligned from birth for her skin and impulsive use of magical powers, the Witch fostered a wish to meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the ruler of Oz famed for his power to grant wishes. When the Munchkins ask if Glinda was friends with the Witch, she reflects on their relationship back at school.
Years earlier, green-skinned Elphaba Thropp escorts younger sister Nessarose on her first day at Shiz University. Nessarose's paraplegia causes the staff to patronise her, prompting an emotional outburst of Elphaba's powers. Shiz's Dean of Sorcery Studies, Madame Morrible, offers to enroll and privately tutor Elphaba in sorcery. She accepts, hoping she can fulfill her dream of working with the Wizard. Elphaba clashes constantly with her roommate, the popular Galinda Upland, who longs to become Morrible's student.
Elphaba's history professor is Dr. Dillamond, a talking goat who faces discrimination as one of Shiz's last Animal professors. She follows him to a meeting of Animals off-campus. Learning the Animals are somehow losing their ability to speak, Elphaba assures Dillamond the Wizard will set it right. Rebellious prince and transfer student Fiyero Tigelaar takes a group of students to a party at the Ozdust Ballroom nightclub. When Munchkin Boq Woodsman asks Galinda to accompany him, she convinces him to invite Nessarose so she can attend with Fiyero instead. Nessarose is overjoyed, and in thanks, Elphaba convinces Morrible to allow Galinda to study sorcery as well. When Elphaba is ridiculed at the Ozdust for wearing an ugly black hat gifted by Galinda as a practical joke, a remorseful Galinda dances with her, and the two begin to bond.
When Dillamond informs the class that Animals are no longer allowed to teach at Shiz, he is forcibly removed from the classroom and replaced by the unscrupulous Professor Nikidik, who demonstrates a cage containing a frightened lion cub, designed to prevent Animals from learning to speak. Elphaba angrily spins poppy dust over the room and escapes with Fiyero when the class falls unconscious. They release the cub into the forest, and Elphaba laments her unrequited feelings for Fiyero, who has chosen Galinda.
Elphaba receives an invitation from the Wizard, who has been made aware of her powers by Morrible. She arrives in the Emerald City with Galinda, now calling herself "Glinda" in solidarity with Dillamond, who constantly mispronounced her name. Their meeting with the Wizard, in which they're surprised to learn he's an ordinary man, is witnessed by Morrible. They induce Elphaba to cast a levitation spell from the sacred Grimmerie, a spellbook that only powerful sorcerers can read and comprehend, causing the Wizard's monkey guards to painfully sprout wings. As the Wizard and Morrible rejoice over their newfound ability to use the monkeys as spies, Elphaba realizes that they are the ones behind the Animals' oppression and that the fraudulent Wizard, unable to read the Grimmerie and lacking real magic of his own, used her to subjugate them further. A horrified Elphaba seizes the Grimmerie and flees.
Glinda follows Elphaba, who refuses to apologize to the Wizard, as Morrible denounces her to all of Oz. Elphaba tries to escape the Emerald City in the Wizard's hot air balloon, but the way up is barred, and the balloon burns up. High in a palace attic, Elphaba repeats the levitation spell on a broom. She urges Glinda to come with her, but Glinda chooses to remain behind. The two share an emotional farewell. Fiyero leaves Shiz on horseback amidst a mass evacuation, while Governor Thropp suffers a fatal heart attack when he and Nessarose receive the news. Elphaba flies west, leaving Glinda behind.
Cast
Multiple cameos take place during the "One Short Day" sequence. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who starred as Elphaba and Glinda in the original Broadway production of the stage musical, portray the leading members of the Emerald City Players. Michael McCorry Rose, who also played Fiyero in the Broadway production, appears as the Wiz-O-Mania narrator. Winnie Holzman, who wrote both the script for the stage musical and the film, appears as an audience member who exclaims, "He can read it [the Grimmerie]! He must be a Wizard!", while composer Stephen Schwartz appears as the Emerald City Guard, who announces to Elphaba and Galinda that "the Wizard will see you now". Adam James and Alice Fearn (who played Elphaba in the musical's West End production) appear briefly as Galinda's parents, nicknamed "Popsicle" and "Momsie" by Galinda.
Pre-production
In the 1990s, Universal Pictures received a pitch from actress Demi Moore, producer Suzanne Todd, and writer Linda Woolverton for a film adaptation of Gregory Maguire's Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995) – a revisionist novel to L. Frank Baum's 1900 story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Other actresses who had expressed interest in adapting the novel included Whoopi Goldberg, Claire Danes, Salma Hayek, and Laurie Metcalf, and they had also been considered for the lead roles along with Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson, and Nicole Kidman. Woolverton had been hired to write the screenplay, and Robert Zemeckis was considered a potential director.
However, by 1998, composer Stephen Schwartz successfully persuaded Universal and then-head of production Marc Platt to adapt the novel as a stage musical, with Winnie Holzman joining as scriptwriter. The musical, titled Wicked, opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre in 2003. The fourth-longest-running Broadway show in history, the musical has won three Tony Awards. The original Broadway production starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda.
In 2011, Universal began making plans for a film adaptation of the musical. Chenoweth, Menzel, Lea Michele, and Amy Adams were all rumored to be potential leads, Holzman and Schwartz were rumored as potential writers, and J. J. Abrams, Rob Marshall, James Mangold, and Ryan Murphy were all mentioned as possible candidates for director. In 2012, after the screen success of Les Misérables, Platt announced that the film was going ahead, later confirming it was aiming for a 2016 release. After a long development, Universal announced in 2016 that Wicked would be released in theatres on December 20, 2019, with Stephen Daldry directing. Daldry was reported considering Lady Gaga and Shawn Mendes for the roles of Elphaba and Fiyero. By 2024, Holzman was credited as the sole writer. In August 2024, it was determined by the Writers Guild of America that Dana Fox collaborated with Holzman on the screenplay, and that Craig Mazin contributed additional literary material. Like the stage musical, the script includes made-up words such as "braverism", "hideoteous", and "confusifying", giving the Land of Oz its own "Ozian" language.
In May 2017, Schwartz said Wicked would feature "at least two" new songs. On August 31, 2018, Universal put it on hold to accommodate its production schedule, and gave the film adaptation of Cats the release date formerly held by Wicked. On February 8, 2019, Universal announced a new release date of December 22, 2021. On April 1, 2020, Universal put Wicked on hold again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and gave Sing 2 the 2021 release date. On October 20, 2020, it was announced that Daldry had left the production due to scheduling conflicts. On February 2, 2021, it was announced that Jon M. Chu would take over as director. In August 2021, Alice Brooks was confirmed as the cinematographer.
Casting
In November 2021, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were cast as Elphaba and Glinda. Grande initially auditioned for Elphaba due to a miscommunication causing Chu to believe that she expressed interest in that role over Glinda. Grande had previously recorded "Popular Song" (a remix of "Popular") in 2012, and performed "The Wizard and I" in the 2018 NBC special A Very Wicked Halloween. Erivo had previously performed "I Couldn't Be Happier" (an excerpt from "Thank Goodness") in the 2021 PBS special Wicked in Concert. Grande revealed that she auditioned three times for the role of Glinda. She stated that she began taking acting lessons a year before her first audition, also adding that "transforming [her] voice to sing Glinda's soprano parts took months". Dove Cameron, Reneé Rapp, and Amanda Seyfried were also reported to have auditioned for Glinda.
In June 2022, Chu confirmed the hiring of Nathan Crowley as production designer. On September 21, it was reported that Jonathan Bailey had joined the cast as Fiyero, beating, among others, Cooper Koch, Nick Jonas, and Joe Jonas for the role. In October 2022, it was announced that Jeff Goldblum was in final talks to star as the Wizard. Goldblum completed talks by December, when Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael were also added to the cast. In April 2024, it was revealed that Peter Dinklage had been cast as the voice of Dr. Dillamond. Unlike the previous film adaptations of the Oz novels, dwarf actors were not cast as the Munchkins.[citation needed]
In April 2022, Erivo expressed her desire to watch the stage version on Broadway again before filming and stated that she has been "relearning everything". She also said at that time that talks were in progress about the visual style, and confirmed the hiring of Paul Tazewell as costume designer. Erivo mentioned that she envisioned Elphaba's costume to incorporate "a Jean Paul Gaultier collection with a 'new world, kind of gilded age' feeling". Erivo also contributed to Elphaba's hair and nails: "I knew I wanted [Elphaba] to have micro braids and I wanted her to have a full set [of nails] for two reasons: [they are] a nod to my culture and a nod to the world of Oz." She also stated: "I imagined that her nails were a part of her magic – that they just grew out of her and she hadn't yet discovered why, like her green skin."
Writing
On April 26, 2022, Chu announced that the adaptation would be filmed in two parts (the other being Wicked: For Good), saying that it was difficult to incorporate the entire story into one movie without "doing some real damage to it" and compromising the story. Thus, he said, it was decided to split the story into two films; doing so would allow for more "depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters."
Schwartz echoed Chu's sentiment in June, while also confirming that a new song was in the works. He said that it was tough to get past the song "Defying Gravity" with no break since it was "written specifically to bring a curtain down". He added, "[I]f we all continue to have the same degree of input, I could have a conversation with anyone who has a question about any of the changes made from the stage show and justify why I think it's better for the movie."
Differences from the musical
New characters in Wicked include Miss Coddle; Dulcibear, Elphaba's childhood nanny; and Galinda's parents, who drop her off at Shiz University. Miss Coddle is the university's headmistress, previously Madame Morrible's role in the stage musical, with Morrible now the Dean of Sorcery. New scenes include Elphaba's tutoring sessions with Madame Morrible as she learns to control her powers, flashbacks to her childhood as she's ridiculed for her green skin, and moments showing her and Nessarose's dynamic as sisters. In the musical, Dr. Dillamond was the only Animal professor at Shiz; this is changed in the movie. The sexual content of the novel and the musical was toned down so both films could reach a wider audience and attain a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Pfannee, who was female in the novel and is cast as such in the musical, is portrayed as male in Wicked. In the musical, Elphaba is already enrolled at Shiz University alongside Nessarose; in the film, she is there to accompany and look after Nessarose at their father's request, before Morrible enrolls her later on. Elphaba and Fiyero's first meeting in Wicked happens in the forest, rather than with a group of classmates at Shiz University.
The "Something Bad" sequence is changed from a conversation between Dr. Dillamond and Elphaba to a private meeting of the talking Animals at Dillamond's off-campus residence, where they sing to each other about the state of Oz. "Dancing Through Life" takes place inside the university's circular, rotating library and includes an extended dance break. The Ozdust Ballroom is also reimagined as what Chu called a nightclub in "the underbelly of Oz", complete with a musical band of Animals. The "Popular" performance is extended and features additional key changes. "One Short Day" is also significantly extended to include the Emerald City Players, who delve into the origins of the Grimmerie. "Defying Gravity" is extended to work as the cliffhanger, featuring an extra vocal section. Elphaba's battle cry, which normally ends the song, is followed by a score extension inspired by Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra (made famous by the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey).
Filming
Principal photography was set to commence in June 2022 at Sky Studios Elstree in the United Kingdom. In July 2021, Schwartz indicated there were plans to film in Atlanta that year. In July 2022, it was revealed that rehearsals for Wicked would start in August, with principal photography beginning in November. Grande later revealed her crown fittings for costuming took place in September. On December 9, Chu confirmed on Twitter that filming had begun. Early into filming, paparazzi were seen flying over the Munchkinland set in Ivinghoe, England, by hang glider with GoPro cameras attached to their feet, in order to leak photos and videos from the set. Grande told VMan: "I think we were very spoiled to have done this with [Chu]. It felt like a teeny, little secret student thing – it's intimacy... It felt so small and private until all of a sudden, we were outside, and the Daily Mail was hand gliding [sic] over our set". Filming was scheduled to wrap in late July 2023. Shooting was suspended on July 13 due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Filming resumed and concluded in January 2024, lasting for 155 days. Christopher Scott choreographed the musical numbers.
The song vocals were recorded live on set at the insistence of Erivo and Grande. Chu cited Steven Spielberg's 1991 film Hook as inspiration for the large-scale sets and practical effects, including nine million colorful tulips planted on location to surround the Munchkinland set, a paved yellow brick road with real mud, and a life-size art deco-inspired train to transport Elphaba and Glinda to the Emerald City. Chu also cited the 1998 films Pleasantville and The Truman Show as influences on how both Wicked and Wicked: For Good thematically portray the Land of Oz, saying, "It helps create this idea of the rebelliousness that this new younger generation are discovering... How far will that take everybody in Oz throughout the course of the whole story of both movies? It's an awakening of a generation. You start to see the truth about things that maybe you were taught differently." The interior of the Wizard's castle was inspired by Hans Poelzig's Großes Schauspielhaus.
Post-production and visual effects
Industrial Light & Magic and Framestore provided the visual effects for Wicked, with Pablo Helman serving as the production visual effects supervisor. On February 6, 2024, it was confirmed that post-production work was in progress, with Chu working remotely with editor Myron Kerstein via with the newly released Apple Vision Pro. Throughout editing, Kerstein felt emotionally connected to Wicked and its story, particularly during post-production work on the Ozdust Ballroom and "Defying Gravity" sequences. Reflecting on the former scene, he stated: "We always felt like the Ozdust Ballroom was basically the set piece we had to get right, because if that didn't work, the rest of the movie was going to fall apart." The sequence involved watching the entireties of every ten-minute-long take of Elphaba and Glinda's dance duet and picking the right portions that provoked the most emotional response. Editing on the entire film was done through Avid Media Composer.
Wicked has 2,200 visual effects shots. Team Aspect handled the main-on-end title sequence and motion design, using 1930s stylization in homage to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's film The Wizard of Oz (1939); this included a recreation of the Universal logo at the start, along with onscreen typography for the title and "To be continued" cards similar to the font used in The Wizard of Oz.
Music
The soundtrack album for Wicked was released on November 22, 2024, through Republic and Verve Records. The score album was released on December 6, 2024. Schwartz composed the score alongside John Powell. Jeff Atmajian updated William David Brohn's original orchestrations for the songs and enlarged the orchestra from the stage version's original 23 musicians to 80. The recording sessions took place at AIR Studios in London, with the musical's original music director Stephen Oremus conducting the song cues and Powell conducting the score cues alongside Gavin Greenaway, all with the London Symphony Orchestra. Schwartz, Oremus, and Greg Wells were the soundtrack's producers. A sing-along edition of the soundtrack was released on December 20, 2024. It features the original album's 11 tracks without lead vocals, but keeps the ensemble's vocals and some of the dialogue parts intact. On April 4, 2025, a new version of the soundtrack was released featuring spoken commentary on all songs by Wicked's cast and crew. Some songs from Wicked: For Good appear in the film, most prominently "For Good" in scenes showcasing Elphaba and Glinda's friendship.
Main musical numbers
- "No One Mourns the Wicked" – Glinda and Citizens of Oz
- "Dear Old Shiz" – Students and Glinda
- "The Wizard and I" – Madame Morrible and Elphaba
- "What Is This Feeling?" – Glinda, Elphaba and Students
- "Something Bad" – Doctor Dillamond and Elphaba
- "Dancing Through Life" – Fiyero, Glinda, Boq, Nessarose, Elphaba and Students
- "Popular" – Glinda
- "I'm Not That Girl" – Elphaba
- "One Short Day" – Elphaba, Glinda and Ozians
- "A Sentimental Man" – The Wizard
- "Defying Gravity" – Elphaba, Glinda, Madame Morrible and Ozians
Marketing
On April 16, 2023, first-look pictures of Elphaba and Glinda were released through social media. Work-in-process footage, featuring first listens to Erivo and Grande's renditions of "Defying Gravity" and "Popular", was presented at CinemaCon on April 26, 2023. A 60-second teaser trailer premiered during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024. On April 10, 2024, new footage was presented at CinemaCon, where Wicked's cast gathered to promote the film. Costumes and props were on display in the venue's lobby during the event. The three-minute theatrical trailer was released on May 15, 2024, followed by a Lego version made in the brickfilm style on May 29. NBC promoted Wicked extensively during its coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, featuring multiple TV and streaming advertisements. Erivo and Grande attended the opening ceremony and the qualifying round of the women's gymnastics event. On September 4, 2024, character posters were revealed ahead of the release of a new trailer the next day, which remixed "Defying Gravity" with the "Wicked Witch" theme from The Wizard of Oz (1939). A behind-the-scenes television special, Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked, aired on NBC on November 19, 2024. After debuting in the TV special, the "What Is This Feeling?" performance was uploaded to YouTube on November 22, 2024, coinciding with the film's release.
Wicked was promoted with the "Journey Through Oz" Press Tour during the weeks leading up to its release, with each city being transformed into some of the film's locations: Sydney (Munchkinland), Los Angeles (Shiz University), Mexico City (Enchanted Forest), New York (Ozdust Ballroom), and London (Emerald City). Universal released a wide range of Wicked merchandise, including toys, apparel, books, beauty products, and accessories. The company had 450 promotional partners, with a media value of $350 million, the most ever for a Hollywood theatrical film. Universal launched an interactive website for Shiz University, including a welcome brochure for new students and a guided tour of the campus. Grande's cosmetics brand R.E.M. Beauty released a collaboration inspired by Wicked to coincide with its release. A 96-page Wicked-focused special-edition issue of People magazine was released in November 2024, featuring exclusive cast interviews and pictures from production. Wicked was featured at the 2025 Rose Parade on New Year's Day in Pasadena, California, with a 55-foot-long "Defying Gravity" float decorated with 60,000 tulips. Promoting the streaming release on Peacock, Universal sold its most Pay 1 movie ad spots ever with sixteen brand partners.
Release
Wicked was screened exclusively for influencers, awards season pundits and entertainment industry personnel on the Universal Studios Lot on October 16, 2024. A private screening was held at the home of Kim Kardashian on October 22, 2024, exclusively attended by her family alongside Erivo and Grande. Another private screening was at the DGA Theater in Manhattan, New York on October 28, 2024, attended by Erivo, Grande, Chu, Platt, Schwartz, original Broadway cast members Kristin Chenoweth, Norbert Leo Butz, and Christopher Fitzgerald, members of the Broadway cast and other actresses who had played Elphaba and Glinda on Broadway and national tour over the years. The screening was preceded by a video greeting from Idina Menzel, who could not attend due to rehearsals being underway for the new musical Redwood. A screening hosted by Anna Wintour was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 14, 2024, attended by the cast members and other celebrities. Screenings for the general public took place at the State Theatre in Sydney from November 20 through November 22.
Wicked premiered in Sydney at the State Theatre on November 3, 2024, with subsequent premieres in Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on November 9, Mexico City at the Auditorio Nacional on November 11, Manhattan, New York at the Museum of Modern Art on November 14, and London at the Royal Festival Hall on November 18. It was theatrically released by Universal Pictures in Australia and Mexico on November 21, and in the U.S. on November 22, with engagements in RealD 3D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX and D-Box. That was followed by its premiere in Poland as the closing night film of the 32nd International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage on November 23, with cinematographer Alice Brooks and production designer Nathan Crowley (who received the 2024 Production Designer Award at the festival) in attendance. Advance screenings took place on November 18, 2024, for Amazon Prime members, and on November 20 for the general public. The two screenings marked the only times during the theatrical release that most theaters across the United States were simultaneously able to show it in IMAX, due to Gladiator II taking over most of those screens on opening weekend. A sing-along version was released theatrically on Christmas Day 2024.
Wicked was previously scheduled for release on December 20, 2019, December 22, 2021, December 25, 2024, and November 27, 2024. The latter's release date was set to avoid competition with Avatar: Fire and Ash and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (the former of which was later delayed to 2025 after Thunderbolts*, and later Mufasa: The Lion King took its date). It then moved forward to November 22 to avoid competition with Moana 2, with the new date putting it against Gladiator II. This triggered speculation about a scenario later termed "Glicked", similar to the Barbenheimer phenomenon which was a result of Barbie and Oppenheimer both being released on July 21, 2023. With Wicked released two weeks after the 2024 United States presidential election, Marc Platt reflected on the story's increasing relevance in the current political climate, saying, "It's a significant election for both of us, but our story aspires to be about the distance people travel to connect with each other, about seeing the other as not the other, about living in a world where sometimes the truth is not real."
Wicked was re-released in 100 North American theaters on June 4, 2025, with screenings accompanied by the "fan first" trailer premiere for Wicked: For Good. A second re-release took place from November 14–21, while a one-time double feature of Wicked and Wicked: For Good was released in select theaters on November 20.
Advanced sales and marketing projections
Tickets for Wicked went on sale on October 9, 2024, the day after Paramount Pictures released their tickets for Gladiator II. On October 10, Fandango reported that it was the site's number 2 first-day ticket pre-seller of 2024, behind Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine, as well as the best PG-rated first-day ticket pre-seller of the year and the number 3 best PG-rated first-day ticket pre-seller of all time, behind Frozen 2 and the 2019 remake of The Lion King (both from Disney). According to Deadline Hollywood, Quorum projected Wicked to gross $67–74 million in its domestic opening weekend, while Box Office Theory projected it would gross $96–150 million and Boxoffice Pro projected it would be $100–125 million, topping the box office ahead of Gladiator II. Initial skepticism was directed towards the notion that musical films post-pandemic would not be profitable. By the week of its release, projections were raised to a $165–200 million worldwide opening (and $125–150 million domestically), with positive word-of-mouth and the awards season buzz cited as the reasons.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 406 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Defying gravity with its magical pairing of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Wicked's sheer bravura and charm make for an irresistible invitation to Oz." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 63 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 92% overall positive score, with 80% saying they would "definitely recommend" it. This movie scored 6.83 out of 10 on Cine21.
Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal called Wicked "the most entertaining film of the year and the most dazzling live-action Hollywood musical since Chicago". Jazz Tangcay of Variety called it "a musical masterpiece that is much more than we could have ever expected" and praised Chu's direction, the performances and the sets and costumes. Antonia Blyth of Deadline Hollywood felt it is "a blast from start to finish" and "a delicious, hilarious romp that shows off Erivo and Grande's next-level talent and laugh-out-loud comedy chops. They serve up every number with surprises, delights and genuine depth." Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that Erivo "is the strongest draw in this splashy, overly long movie", while Gregory Ellwood of The Playlist wrote that Grande "often delivers startling depth to her character before jumping into a musical number that will have you grinning from ear to ear".
Jonathan Bailey was deemed to be a standout performer by Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian. Bradshaw wrote he "uncorks an outrageous scene-stealer as the hetero-camp Fiyero", and by ABC News' Peter Travers, noting that his performance was a "display of song, dance and acting virtuosity". "Dancing Through Life", his character's musical number, was described as "the adaptation's biggest musical accomplishment" by Entertainment Weekly's Christian Holub. The Ozdust Ballroom and "Defying Gravity" scenes were cited as among the best of 2024 by Variety and Looper, respectively. Filmmakers Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Oliver Stone, Joe Dante, Adam McKay, Sean Baker, Drew Goddard, William Goldenberg, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Laurel Parmet, Rich Peppiatt, Nicholas Stoller and Juel Taylor praised the film.
Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe called Wicked "visually unappealing", commenting that "it can't handle the tonal shifts. Authoritarianism and broad comedy make strange and uneasy bedfellows." Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com said that "When it's all about the spectacle of big, splashy production numbers, this prequel to The Wizard of Oz is thrilling" but that "far less effective is the way Chu... wedges in the movie's heavier themes of authoritarianism". James Berardinelli of ReelViews wrote that "Although Wicked: Part 1 has its share of high points (some of which aim very high), the filmmakers seem to have embraced the concept of 'bloat' as a beneficial characteristic."
In December 2024, Collider's editorial staff ranked Wicked at number 16 on their list of the "25 Best Musicals of the 21st Century", with David Caballero describing it as a "worthwhile offering with irresistible songs and a few jaw-dropping sequences". The Washington Post named it the 10th-best musical film of the century in February 2025, with Naveen Kumar writing that it "surpasses the stage musical". In March 2025, Time Out named it the 38th-best film musical, writing that "it pops with vibrancy and energy, effervescence and sincerity, adding the odd tweak, expanding the occasional storyline, but largely visualizing the musical in a way that's delighted the many millions who have seen it on stage since its Broadway premiere". In August 2025, listeners of the UK radio station Classic FM voted it number 55 in its annual "Movie Music Hall of Fame" poll.
Accolades
Wicked received several awards and nominations. It received three awards at the National Board of Review, where it made history as the first fantasy film to win Best Film, and the fourth musical film to win, the first since Moulin Rouge! in 2001. Chu received the award for Best Director, while Erivo and Grande received the NBR Spotlight Award in recognition of their creative collaboration. It additionally was named one of the top 10 films of 2024 by the American Film Institute. The AFI jury rationale states:
Wicked soars into the stratosphere of cinema history–a modern classic born from an evergreen concoction of cultural landmarks. The screen has rarely seen–or heard–towering performances like those delivered by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, leaving audiences Oz-struck across generations... with Jon M. Chu the wizard behind the curtain, a brilliant creative ensemble creates an immersive world where one fights for what is right while encouraging us to believe we all can fly beyond the rainbow.
At the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, Wicked won Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and received nominations for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Cynthia Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Ariana Grande). It tied with Conclave for a leading 11 nominations at the 30th Critics' Choice Awards, and won three: Best Director (Jon M. Chu), Best Production Design (Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales), and Best Costume Design (Paul Tazewell). It led the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards with five nominations including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Jonathan Bailey), Outstanding Performance by a Cast, and Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble. Wicked tied with many others as the most nominated film in the ceremony's history.
At the 97th Academy Awards, Wicked tied with The Brutalist for the second-most nominations with 10 total, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Erivo), and Best Supporting Actress (Grande). It won Best Costume Design for Tazewell (who became the first African American male costume designer to win the category) and Best Production Design for Crowley and Sandales. At the 75th American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards, it won Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy, Theatrical) for Myron Kerstein. At the 2025 Kids' Choice Awards, Wicked led with eight nominations and won three, including Favorite Movie, Favorite Movie Actress (Grande), and Favorite Song from a Movie ("Defying Gravity"). At the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, the soundtrack received nominations for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, while Erivo and Grande won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their rendition of "Defying Gravity".
