Wicked (2024 film)

Production

Universal Pictures first heard a pitch for a film version of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1990s, brought by actress Demi Moore, producer Suzanne Todd, and writer Linda Woolverton. Other actresses who wanted to adapt the book included Whoopi Goldberg, Claire Danes, Salma Hayek, and Laurie Metcalf, and they were also in the running for lead roles alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Emma Thompson, and Nicole Kidman. Woolverton was brought on to write the screenplay, and Robert Zemeckis was a possible director.

But in 1998, composer Stephen Schwartz convinced Universal and studio head Marc Platt to turn the novel into a stage musical instead, with Winnie Holzman writing the script. That musical, Wicked, premiered on Broadway in 2003 and is now the fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history. Universal started planning a film adaptation in 2011. After a lengthy development, the studio announced in 2016 that Stephen Daldry would direct, aiming for a December 20, 2019 release.

Daldry was reportedly considering Lady Gaga and Shawn Mendes for roles. By 2024, Holzman was listed as the sole writer, but the Writers Guild of America later determined that Dana Fox co-wrote the screenplay and Craig Mazin provided additional literary material. The script includes invented words like "braverism," "hideoteous," and "confusifying," creating a unique Ozian vocabulary.

Marketing

The first official images of Elphaba and Glinda appeared online on April 16, 2023. Ten days later at CinemaCon, early footage gave audiences their first taste of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performing "Defying Gravity" and "Popular." A 60-second teaser aired during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024. The cast reunited at CinemaCon on April 10, 2024, to show new clips, with costumes and props displayed in the lobby. A three-minute theatrical trailer dropped on May 15, 2024, followed by a Lego brickfilm version on May 29.

NBC heavily promoted the movie during the 2024 Summer Olympics, running ads across TV and streaming; Erivo and Grande attended the opening ceremony and the women's gymnastics qualifying round. On September 4, 2024, character posters arrived, leading to a trailer the next day that blended "Defying Gravity" with the 1939 "Wicked Witch" theme. The behind-the-scenes special Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked aired on NBC on November 19, 2024.

Release

Before its wide release, Wicked had a series of exclusive screenings. The first, on October 16, 2024, was held on the Universal Studios Lot for influencers, awards prognosticators, and industry insiders. A private event at Kim Kardashian’s home on October 22 featured her family along with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Another private screening took place at the DGA Theater in Manhattan on October 28, attended by Erivo, Grande, director Jon M. Chu, producer Marc Platt, composer Stephen Schwartz, and original Broadway cast members Kristin Chenoweth, Norbert Leo Butz, and Christopher Fitzgerald.

Idina Menzel, who could not attend due to rehearsals for the musical Redwood, sent a video greeting. On November 14, Anna Wintour hosted a screening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with cast and other celebrities. Public screenings ran at Sydney’s State Theatre from November 20 to 22.

The film’s premiere was in Sydney at the State Theatre on November 3, followed by Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on November 9, Mexico City at the Auditorio Nacional on November 11, Manhattan at the Museum of Modern Art on November 14, and London at the Royal Festival Hall on November 18. Universal Pictures released it theatrically in Australia and Mexico on November 21 and in the U.S. on November 22, in formats including RealD 3D, IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, ScreenX, and D-Box.

It also closed the Camerimage festival in Poland on November 23, with cinematographer Alice Brooks and production designer Nathan Crowley in attendance. Advance screenings for Amazon Prime members occurred on November 18, and for the general public on November 20. A sing-along version hit theaters on Christmas Day 2024.

Reception

Tickets for Wicked went on sale on October 9, 2024. On October 10, Fandango reported it was the site's number 2 first-day ticket pre-seller of 2024, behind Deadpool & Wolverine, and the best PG-rated first-day pre-seller of the year. Quorum projected a domestic opening weekend gross, while Box Office Theory and Boxoffice Pro also made projections.

By the week of release, projections were raised to a worldwide opening, with positive word-of-mouth and awards season buzz cited. The film grossed in the United States and Canada and in other territories for a worldwide total. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit as $230 million, making it the fifth-most profitable film of 2024.

In the U.S. and Canada, it made on its first day, including from preview screenings. It debuted topping both the domestic and worldwide box offices, with the largest opening ever for a film based on a Broadway musical, surpassing Into the Woods (2014) domestically and Les Misérables (2012) worldwide. The next Thursday it made the second-best Thanksgiving Day total ever behind Moana 2.

Did You Know?

• Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Galinda on Broadway, appear in the film as the leading members of the Emerald City Players during the 'One Short Day' sequence.
• Winnie Holzman, who wrote the script for both the stage musical and the film, appears as an audience member who exclaims, 'He can read it [the Grimmerie]! He must be a Wizard!'
• Lorna Luft, one of the daughters of Judy Garland, called Wicked 'breathtaking to look at' and 'everything I wanted it to be'.