By Lily Gosney
Based off of the spectacular Broadway musical and inspired by the movie The Wizard of Oz, director John M. Chu produced a two‑part movie series following Elphaba and Glinda through their journey in the world of Oz. The plot continues to follow Elphaba as she flees the Emerald City after being framed as a witch, and the movie becomes darker and more intense as the city of Oz turns against her. As Glinda gains popularity, she internally struggles with guilt and loneliness because of how close she and Elphaba once were, while Elphaba tries to protect the people she cares about as the Wizard and Madame Morrible tighten their control over Oz. Within the soundtrack, “For Good,” “No Good Deed,” and “As Long as You’re Mine” have all charted on the Billboard Top 100. On social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, Wicked: For Good has received significant attention, and after the first film was released, fans closely followed both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, with memes, theories, and interviews between the two attracting even more viewers. The film focuses more on the friendship between Glinda and Elphaba as they face difficult situations together. Comparing the two‑part movie to the play, the film adds more backstory to each character and expands the original production by including additional scenes and events, while also emphasizing animal abuse as a prominent issue—something the play barely addressed. The decision to split the story into two films mirrors the structure of the stage production, with the second film aligning with the second act of the musical. Overall, fans have rated the movie 7/10 on IMDb, 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 93% on Fandango. The film stars Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, and Ethan Slater as Boq. In the sequel, the story incorporates characters from The Wizard of Oz such as Dorothy Gale, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, creating a stronger connection between the two worlds. Many cast and crew members have been nominated for awards, including Ariana Grande for Best Supporting Actress, along with nominations for Best Costume Design, Hair and Makeup, Production Design, and Cast and Ensemble at the 31st Critics Choice Awards held on January 4th, 2026. As a whole, the movie was a great success, breaking records and receiving 440 million views worldwide
Provided by The Hollywood Reporter