BOX OFFICE: Thank Oz for #WickedForGood! It opened to $150M (domestic) & $226M (worldwide), which is:
- Biggest global opening ever for a Broadway musical adaptation
- 2nd biggest opening of 2025 (domestic)
- 2nd biggest opening ever for Universal
- 3rd biggest opening for a musical movie (domestic)
- Biggest opening ever for stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, director Jon M. Chu and producer Marc Platt.
- Soars past the opening of #Wicked ($112M dom, 164M ww)
Speaking of #WickedForGood, just watched it this early morning at the BFI IMAX, and #JonMChu really stuck the landing delivering the best blockbuster of the year so far, a visually stunning, epic cinematic conclusion to the #Wicked saga, in which #ArianaGrande & #CynthiaErivo both reach new heights with their characters.
Despite the pacing not being as well balanced as in the first one, it’s absolutely no sacrifice to keep looking at the film.
With a bolder, more vivid color palette, the sequel learned from the criticism the first film received, and became a visual feast. Set pieces are as incredible as in the first one, and the costumes feel way more elaborated this time around.
Epic action sequences, including the opening scene which feels just out of a CBM, with several homages to that genre - even a classic SUPERMAN & Lois romantic levitation reimagined in a very sweet moment of the film, and a Zorro/Batman moment with the last character you would expect to see involved in it in this movie - will very likely make the sequel even more engaging and accessible to non-musical fans this time around.
The sequel goes deeper, more emotional and heartbreaking, meaning an intellectually stronger, more relatable film, but also meaning less fun to be had than in #Wicked. The characters are going through a painful awakening to uncomfortable truths, and For Good takes the right approach not trivialising those moments. #WickedForGood still commits itself to make you have a great time, but never at the expense of the darker developments the whole Oz is going through.
The new #Wicked film skillfully shows in a didactic way how propaganda, shades of fascism & manipulation can be put in place with large support of the population involved by them, while taking care to not vilify the people who, in the end of the day, are as victims of the system as the ones they persecuted, blinded by the ones in power.
And that’s where #ArianaGrande shines, showing an incredible, balanced, nuanced performance in which Glinda is a victim and also a culprit of her own choices, which have been taken advantage of by the system which ultimately delivers what Glinda actually wished for. And the way she refuses to see herself as victim, while also fighting with the idea of being guilt for her own actions, and the eventual realisation that her choices have been placed way before she found herself in the position she is now and only herself can do something about it, all culminating in on of the toughest, delightful performances of the year.
But although #CynthiaErivo already had her awakening arc in the previous film, she still has a lot to do here and delivers in every single way, with Elphaba figuring out that even when you think you are fighting the good fight, there are still realities you refuse to see about yourself that sooner or later you will have to be reckoned with. And because of that, every single scene, even the romantic ones with Fierro, are dramatically charged by a more nuanced, powerful performance from Erivo.
Also, it needs to be said: #JonathanBailey justifies his title of sexiest man alive in this film, haha. Every single scene he is in, he exhales the aura of the gallant Hollywood stars of old, exhaling chemistry with his lead ladies. But he’s much more than that, also with a more dramatic and demanding, although not as charming and fun, role than he had last time.
Musical pieces aren’t as bubbly & catchy as in first Wicked’s, but the songs have much more to say now, with powerful moments, such as #CynthiaErivo’s “No Place Like Home” and especially “No Good Deed” being this film’s Defying Gravity, and also #ArianaGrande’s heartbreaking “The Girl In The Bubble”.
To summarise, #JonMChu solidified himself as top tier director as #WickedForGood, despite pacing not as sharp, is yet a cinematic triumph, the epic conclusion it was promised to be!
A clever, engaging social commentary which also entertains, with incredible performances.
‘WICKED: FOR GOOD’ is on track to open with $228M at the worldwide box office.
Making it the biggest opening for a Broadway adaptation.
(Source: https://t.co/maO41tSYtc)
‘Wicked: For Good’ Looking Great With $228M Global Opening; Biggest Start Ever For A Broadway Musical Adaptation – International Box Office https://t.co/NYuhwiC3yf via @Deadline
With #WickedForGood, Ariana Grande proves the first film was no fluke — and she has definitively made the perilous crossover from pop icon to movie star.
"As Glinda Upland, Grande does more than hold her own opposite Cynthia Erivo. She carries across a lifetime of yearning in a way that transforms Glinda from would-be witch in a surreal landscape into a young woman to whom anyone can relate... Grande may be getting a push in the supporting races this awards season, but it’s her journey — from glum acceptance of her role as a figurehead in the corrupt world of Oz to eager, revived defiance — that gives the tale its structure and its heat," writes Variety’s chief correspondent Daniel D'Addario.
Read more here: https://t.co/iXIwdCP0II
Jon M. Chu reveals to reporter Kyle Buchanan that the closet door scene in ‘Wicked: For Good’ was improvised:
“[Cynthia and Ariana] sang ‘For Good’ and I didn’t call cut and they just kept acting it because that’s what they do. They just ad libbed this thing: There was no real door, but they pretended to close the door. They’re giving each other strength through the difficulty of saying goodbye to someone you love forever […] Oh my god, I was like, ‘This is what the full movie is about, is this moment.’ And then they lean their heads against the door! I felt like I was a witness to some divine moment of intersection, that God wanted to send us a message and these women were channeling it. It was out of body to watch that.”
I can't get it out of my mind. "No Good Deed" is incredible and "For Good" is poignant, but "As Long As Your Mine" just keeps playing over and over in my head
Thinking about the moment he shows up completely disheveled ready to stand up for the women he loves and it’s the first time he’s ever taken a stand for something in his life that’s not himself, the shaking of the gun as the Winkie Prince loses his cool. Jonathan Bailey, a star
Just watched “Wicked: For Good” and it’s genuinely fantastic. Such a beautifully crafted continuation of the first film.
Ariana’s performance is impeccable.
“wicked: for good” is genuinely one of the most breathtaking films i’ve EVER seen. i went through shock, joy, n heartbreak all in the same theater seat. ariana’s “thank goodness” & cynthia’s “no good deed” were unreal. i’m still replaying them in my head. and marissa, ethan, and jonathan..? their acting left me speechless. i don’t have the words for how much i adored this movie. i cannot wait for everyone else to experience it. yall are gonna love it