With over a month having passed since its theatrical debut, Wicked has landed itself on the list of the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time—but, wait! There’s more. Passing a new milestone, Universal’s blockbuster hit has become only the third film of the year to pass the $400 million milestone (joining the ranks of Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine). While these other two films ended up grossing more than $600 million each, there is still hope that Wicked can hit that $500 million mark.
What’s Wicked?
While Wicked the film, directed by Jon M. Chu, is based on the iconic Broadway musical of the same name—which featured Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda in its opening in 2003—the Broadway classic is based on Gregory Maguire’s novel titled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Inspired by the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Maguire’s novel is a darker, more adult-themed, exploration of the classic tale.
Wicked on the Big Screen
The film features Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba. Audiences watched Grande float down in her pink bubbles to address the citizens of Munchkinland in the opening scene of the film, informing the munchkins that the Wicked Witch of the West was, in fact, dead. Shifting to Glinda’s narration of Elphaba’s backstory and how she was born green, the film follows the two girls arriving at Shiz University and, despite both of their protests, their time as roommates.
Formerly known as Galinda, Glinda arrives expecting a private suite, yet, when she learns this is not the case, she decorates the entire room with everything in pink—except for a small little corner in the back for Elphaba. Unlike the good witch audiences know in The Wizard of Oz, Glinda is a bit of a mean girl in Wicked, who attempts to humiliate Elphaba at the Ozdust Ballroom with the help of her friends Pfannee (Bowen Yang) and Shenshen (Bronwyn James). However, the two witches become best friends shortly after.
The film is a dazzling story of Elphaba’s endeavors to help the animals in Oz who are losing their rights, including her former caprine professor, Dr. Dillamond (Peter Dinklage), as well as her potential as a sorceress—which is recognized by Madame Morrible (played by Michelle Yeoh), who takes Elphaba under her wing. Adding a dose of love and drama to the mix, Wicked also has three different love triangles.
Part 1 Soars but Part 2 Comes in 2025
The blockbuster hit only details the first act of the Broadway show, despite the runtime of the film already being longer than the entirety of the Broadway show and containing the same songs. While the major plot points between the film and play remain the same, Chu extended the runtime by adding new scenes (some of which were inspired by Maguire’s book) and lengthened some of the songs, like “One Short Day” and “Defying Gravity.”
Wicked ends with Erivo’s Elphaba belting out the lyrics to “Defying Gravity,” which is the moment that the first act of the Broadway musical ends. While part 1 of Wicked has been soaring in theaters, part 2 is slated to come out November 21, 2025, titled Wicked: For Good. There are rumors that the second part will include two brand-new songs for the film.
The film received excellent opening reviews and even better audience responses, currently holding an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a near-perfect audience score on the platform. Wicked is expected to make its way into the top 35 on the all-time list and is already one of the highest-grossing movie musicals of all time, trailing just behind 2017’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast.
