Wicked
There's two sides to every story
Elphaba, a young woman ridiculed for her green skin, and Galinda, a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz — until the emergence of the Wizard threatens to divide them forever.
Director
Jon M. Chu
Studio
Universal Pictures
Release
November 22, 2024
Runtime
160 min
Genres
Fantasy, Musical, Romance
Box office
$701 million worldwide
Cast & Characters
Elphaba
Cynthia Erivo
↔ Galinda / Glinda
Galinda / Glinda
Ariana Grande
↔ Elphaba
Madame Morrible
Michelle Yeoh
Fiyero
Jonathan Bailey
Did You Know?
Wicked is Part One of a two-film adaptation of the Broadway musical, split to preserve the full story.
Source: Universal Pictures announcement · verified 2026-07-29
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performed all vocals live on set rather than lip-syncing to studio recordings.
Source: Behind-the-scenes production notes · verified 2026-07-29
Critical Assessment
Wicked holds a 7.4/10 on IMDb (191,746 votes), a 73/100 on Metacritic, and an 88% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes — a strong reception, with particular praise for Erivo and Grande's performances.
“Erivo is a revelation, bringing real emotional weight to Elphaba.” — Variety “A lavish, faithful adaptation that justifies the two-part split.” — IndieWire
Critics (88%) and audiences responded warmly and consistently, with the film's musical theater roots translating successfully to the screen — a rarer outcome for stage-to-film adaptations.
Ratings as of 2026-07-29
AI Verdict
AI-generatedWicked's 88% RT score and $701M gross prove that splitting a beloved musical into two films can work when the performances — especially Erivo's — carry the emotional weight.